Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur: Preview







Tottenham skipper Ledley King has a hamstring strain and will miss Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final clash against Burnley at Turf Moor.

Left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto is back from suspension but Vedran Corluka (both thigh), Jermaine Jenas (calf) and Aaron Lennon are out.

Full-back Alan Hutton is out with a foot injury.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will give Ben Alnwick the chance to solve one of the problem areas of his squad.

Protecting a 4-1 lead from the first leg of the semi-final, first-choice goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes is among a host of injuries Redknapp has to deal with, meaning Alnwick will make his Spurs debut.

Redknapp wants cover for Gomes, who has a thigh strain, but Alnwick has the chance to stake his claim as the Brazilian stopper's deputy while the search for a back-up goalkeeper continues.

Another concern for Redknapp is a lack of tenacity in his squad, which is why he wants Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios, with chairman Daniel Levy discussing personal terms with the 24-year-old after agreeing a fee with Wigan.

"We've agreed a deal and the chairman is talking to his people,'' Redknapp said. "Hopefully it will happen.''

Adding bite to his squad is also why he targeted Craig Bellamy, before Manchester City came in for the striker.

"I wanted Craig and would have loved him here,'' Redknapp said. "He's a fighter and wants to win, he also has terrific ability but once City come in it's difficult to compete because they are working on another level. We couldn't get anywhere near him.''

With his squad still being shaped, Redknapp will send out his strongest side possible against Burnley.

Darren Bent will be in the squad, three days after his glaring miss against Portsmouth - an opportunity Redknapp later suggested his wife could have scored.

Despite facing criticism for his comment, Redknapp said: "I don't regret saying it. If I had the hump every time somebody said something about me I wouldn't go out every morning. It's frightening really.

"Sometimes you say what you think and people take offence. I've spoken to him and there is no problem.

"You keep pussyfooting around with people - what am I supposed to say? Really good try? Really unlucky? He's really done his best with that?''

Redknapp is hoping for a different reaction from Spurs players to last season, when they won the Carling Cup then struggled to get results in the league.

"It didn't help league form last year as we only won three games after that until I arrived,'' Redknapp added. "I hope it has the reverse effect.

"The key is getting into the final and winning some league games - these are the two competitions that matter. We have to get to Wembley and stay in the Premier League. The FA Cup and UEFA are very secondary.''

Burnley manager Owen Coyle will be without skipper Steven Caldwell and striker Steve Thompson.

Defender Caldwell, who missed the first leg at White Hart Lane due to suspension, is banned again after being booked in last week's FA Cup win over QPR.

Thompson is cup-tied having played for Cardiff in an earlier round of the competition so Robbie Blake will return to the starting line-up.

Winger Wade Elliott is available again after missing Saturday's 2-1 defeat at neighbours Preston due to a one-match ban and should also claim a starting berth.

Coyle will also check on a couple of minor knocks as his side seek to defy the odds following a run of five defeats from seven games in all competitions.

The Clarets boss has urged his players to enjoy tomorrow`s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham and is confident they can win the match, even if the tie appears beyond them.

"You don't have to be Einstein to recognise that Tottenham Hotspur, with all their quality and a three-goal lead, are clear favourites,'' said Coyle.

"There's no doubt we're trying to climb Everest and beyond but I believe that if we play to our capabilities then we can win the match on the night.

"That's we'll look to do.

"For a Championship club to get to a semi-final shows you the extent of the journey we've had,'' added the former Bolton striker.

"We're there on merit and have had some terrific results which have got us here.

"I want the players to enjoy themselves and give the fans a victory for the terrific support they've given us this season.

"We have raised the bar for everybody in terms of expectation and we know we have the ingredients to make this club talked about.

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