Captain Garry Monk returns to the Swansea starting line-up on New Year's Eve imploring his team to show no fear when they face a Tottenham side he believes are genuine Barclays Premier League title contenders.
Harry Redknapp's third-placed side have lost just one of their past 16 league games and lie just seven points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand. Swansea, meanwhile, sit in 14th place mainly thanks to their superb home form which has seen them take 16 points and lose just once at the Liberty Stadium. That defeat came in November's 1-0 reverse to Manchester United, an occasion when Swans boss Brendan Rodgers felt his side had been in awe of their opponents and afforded the champions too much respect.
Monk, 32, is determined there will be no repeat this time around. He said: "The talk this week has been about not looking at the names on the shirts.
"We need to come out and have a go from the very start, like we did in the second half against United and I think we will do that.
"They are an attacking side and they are not going to come here and be cagey, like some teams have done. I think it is going to be an open and very exciting game to play in and hopefully we get the better of them and get the result we want.
"We will use their strength and success as motivation. It will be a great occasion, it's another top four side coming to the Liberty Stadium."
If Swansea are to claim their first major scalp of the season - their four wins so far coming against West Brom, Stoke, Bolton and Fulham - then Monk and his defensive colleagues, who have eight clean sheets in the credit column, will have to be at their best to stymie a Spurs side laden with attacking flair.
As well as the pace and power of Welsh hero Bale, the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Rafael van der Vaart and Luke Modric will all pose danger. And Monk, himself a Tottenham fan, feels that array of talent means Redknapp's side are well and truly in the hunt for a first league title since 1961.
He said: "When you look at Bale's goals against Norwich, you realise some things are unstoppable. You have to hold up your hands sometimes and say that was an amazing bit of skill. But we can't just worry about him.
"Look at Kyle Walker, he is their full-back, yet he plays like an extra winger. The midfielders, like Modric, are world-class players, so it is a tough, tough ask for us, but one that we will relish. "They are probably the form team right now and I think they are genuinely in the title race. I think they think that as well."
Rodgers will make a late decision over the fitness of full-back Angel Rangel after he was forced off with an ankle problem in Tuesday's 1-1 draw against QPR. Left-back Neil Taylor is set to return from the knee injury he suffered in the defeat at Everton, but centre-half Steven Caulker is absent due to the terms of his loan from Spurs, with Monk coming into the side having being left out for the past four games.
Michael Dawson will miss out for Spurs despite returning to full training after four months out with an Achilles injury. Aaron Lennon (hamstring) and Ledley King (knee) are also out, but Jermain Defoe could be fit after making encouraging progress in his return from a hamstring problem that has kept him out of the club's past two matches. Sebastien Bassong (back) and Roman Pavlyuchenko (ankle) are also doubtful.
Bale will return to his native Wales to face Swansea after an excellent week which has seen his value rocket further. The 22-year-old rightly earned high praise for tearing Norwich apart in Tuesday's 2-0 win. Rather than worry about any pressure lauding Bale will have on the player, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp continues to lavish praise on his star.
"He is a boy that thrives on confidence," Redknapp said.
"You would rather have the manager tell you how good you are than the other way around.
"He is an amazing player. He has everything. He can run, shoot, head, dribble, score goals, make goals and you couldn't meet a nicer boy either."
With four home games coming up in January, Redknapp's team now have a chance to push for a first league title in 51 years, but the 64-year-old has warned his team that they face a tough fight to the death just to finish in the top four. "It's so tight," Redknapp said. "There are six teams going for those four places. It will be a real scrap."
Swansea V Tottenham - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game live.
Source: PA
