Tottenham Hotspur will continue their battle to stay at the third spot in the English Premier League in the all important clash against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Hosts Everton will try to extend their unbeaten streak beyond eight games. The Merseyside outfit have managed to beat Chelsea and Manchester City in a few their recent matches which clearly indicates that this will be a tough game for Spurs.
Harry Redknapp’s side have struggled in the last few weeks with poor form and injuries. Spurs, who were title contenders in the first half of the season, suffered back-to-back defeats recently against Arsenal and Manchester United.
Last week’s result has left Spurs just four points ahead of Arsenal in the fourth spot and a bad result against the Toffees will reduce the gap further. And if the same thing continues, there is a chance of Spurs losing out on the final spot Champions League qualification at the hands of Chelsea, Newcastle or Liverpool.
Injury problems have intensified for the London club as Michael Dawson has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Redknapp will also miss winger Aaron Lennon who picked up an injury in the FA Cup. But he will be relieved by the presence of talented duo Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart, who have missed a few games with injuries.
Steven Piennar will not be eligible to play for Everton as he is currently on loan from Tottenham. Manager David Moyes is likely to put in Leon Osman in Piennar’s place. Phil Jagielka is fit and is unlikely to start ahead of John Heitinga and Sylvain Distin.
A win for Everton will increase their hopes of playing in Europe next season, possibly in the Europa League.
Probable Line-ups: Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Distin, Heitinga, Baines, Osman, Neville, Fellaini, Drenthe, Tim Cahill, Stracqualursi
Tottenham Hotspur: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto, Kranjcar, Parker, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Adebayor/Saha