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- May 20, 2005
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AC Milan Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Uefa Champions League
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Wednesday 9 March Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live, live on BBC Sport website, live on ITV 1
Uefa Champions League
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Wednesday 9 March Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live, live on BBC Sport website, live on ITV 1
For more on live coverage please visit Geez's Live Media Thread
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2[ar]
Spurs hold 1-0 advantage going into second leg
One of the biggest nights in Tottenham's history lies ahead as AC Milan travel to White Hart Lane for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
Arsenal may have surrendered a winning position to bow out of Europe at the hands of tournament favourites Barcelona on Tuesday evening, but Spurs have home advantage against Milan and an away goal in the bag after winning 1-0 at the San Siro last month.
Harry Redknapp's men earned plaudits for their organised, professional approach in Italy, where Peter Crouch netted a potentially decisive late strike following a lightning break from Aaron Lennon.
Milan were not quite so disciplined, with Mathieu Flamini lucky to avoid being sent off for a wild challenge on Vedran Corluka and Gennaro Gattuso confronting assistant Tottenham coach Joe Jordan at the final whistle.
These fiery incidents have only added spice to the return leg at White Hart Lane on Wednesday, when Spurs will be looking to finish the job and progress through to the quarter-finals.
There is sure to be an electrifying atmosphere and Redknapp has vowed to stay true to his attacking instincts, which were clearly on display in the 3-3 Premier League draw against Wolves at the weekend.
Jermain Defoe scored twice and Roman Pavlyuchenko grabbed the other at Molineux, but there were again defensive concerns as Spurs shipped three goals for the second successive game.
A defeat to Blackpool in their only other outing since the first leg effectively ended Tottenham's domestic title chances, while the Wolves draw further damaged their hopes of finishing fourth and qualifying for the next edition of the Champions League.
Bale boost
There was some good news at least from the clash with Wolves as Gareth Bale made his return from a back injury with a lively cameo as a substitute.
The Welshman has felt some stiffness in the legs over the past couple of days and is not guaranteed to start against Milan, but his presence in the squad will give the Serie A leaders plenty to ponder.
Bale produced his two most blistering performances of the season against Milan's local rivals Inter in the group phase, scoring a stunning hat-trick in a 4-3 defeat at the Giuseppe Meazza before inspiring Spurs to victory in London.
Rafael van der Vaart is also available after recovering from a calf problem and is likely to start in support of a lone striker.
Crouch could get the nod to lead the line despite the goalscoring displays of Defoe and Pavlyuchenko at the weekend, while Lennon is also likely to be recalled to the starting line-up.
Corluka has overcome the ankle injury he sustained in the challenge with Flamini and could replace Alan Hutton at right-back.
Milan news
If Corluka is selected he will once again come into direct competition with Flamini, who has hit back at Redknapp for criticism of his conduct in the first leg.
The other controversial figure from the San Siro, Gattuso, begins a five-match European suspension following his furious bust-up with Jordan.
He had already picked up a yellow card in the first leg that would have ruled him out of the trip to England, before the touchline altercation resulted in an extra four-game sentence being handed down by Uefa.
As well as Gattuso, Milan will be without the injured duo of Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini.
Massimiliano Allegri still has a formidable array of attacking talent at his disposal, including Alexandre Pato, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and former Manchester City striker Robinho.
The Rossoneri have won three matches in a row since the first leg, most recently beating Juventus 1-0 on Saturday, to tighten their grip on top spot in Italy.
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2[ar]
Tottenham winger Gareth Bale will be given until Wednesday to prove his fitness for their Champions League last-16 second-leg tie with AC Milan.
Manager Harry Redknapp said Bale trained on Tuesday and showed no ill-effects from his long-standing back problem, but his legs were a bit stiff.
"His back's fine but he was stiff in the legs," stated Redknapp.
"It's touch and go. We'd love to start with him but if he's not quite right I wouldn't want to take a chance."
There is better news on Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart, who has not played since Spurs' first-leg 1-0 win in Milan because of a calf injury.
"Van der Vaart has a good chance for Wednesday, I hope he'll be fit," said Redknapp.
Winger Bale made his first appearance since 22 January when he came on as a substitute in Sunday's 3-3 Premier League draw at Wolves.
"When Gareth came on and started to run with the ball, it was exciting," added Redknapp. "We've missed that for the last five or six weeks.
"That was his first real exertion for six weeks. He started straight away to run with the ball and when he does that, he scares people to death.
"He carries the game at the opposition and that makes a massive difference."
2[ar]
Milan beat Juventus 1-0 on Sunday ahead of the second leg at White Hart Lane and while Redknapp is planning an attacking strategy, he is concerned by his side's defensive frailties.
In addition to the goals conceded at Wolves, Tottenham also let in three at Blackpool in their previous fixture.
"There were lots of positives for me from the [Wolves] game but we just didn't defend well in a couple of positions and that is a problem," stated the Spurs manager.
"Conceding goals is a concern. Conceding three at Blackpool was a concern. It is disappointing to let three goals in, especially when you score three."
The Italians will be missing three key players for the match - Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini are both injured, and Gennaro Gattuso was already ruled out through suspension even before he launched his notorious post-match attack on Spurs coach Joe Jordan.
Coach Massimo Allegri recognised his side could not afford to repeat their first-leg display but he had confidence in their ability to overturn the deficit.
"We can do it because we're a strong team and we're in good shape, physically and mentally," he commented.
"The first leg was a strange game. We know that Tottenham is a strong team and we can't commit the errors made at the San Siro."
Bale, who produced a dazzling one-man show when Spurs played Milan's neighbours Inter in the group stages, has attracted the attention of the Serie A outfit.
Allegri said he was all too aware of the threat the Welshman posed but he felt they could deal with him.
"He's a very important player with great physical and technical attributes but Tottenham isn't just Bale," he stated.
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