Tottenham sweat on fitness of key players ahead of Champions League draw

26 August 2010 11:24
-- Follow the Champions League draw live [LNB]Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and striker Jermain Defoe are both struggling with groin injuries and will shortly find out if they are to miss vital games. [LNB] Related ArticlesWhat's the difference between Defoe and Henry?Champions League draw: a complete guidePeter Crouch: Spurs want to face Real MadridTottenham 4 Young Boys 0; agg 6-3Tottenham v Young Boys: as it happenedRedknapp wants urgency against Young BoysTottenham enjoyed a famous victory last night when they beat Young Boys 4-0 in the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie. [LNB]However, the triumph, which saw Spurs claim their place in tonight's group stage draw, may have come at a cost. [LNB]Gomes, key to Spurs' march into Europe, damaged his groin in the first half at White Hart Lane. [LNB]And while manager Harry Redknapp insisted after the match that they would have to wait to see the extent of the injury, the Brazilian claimed he could be out for "weeks". [LNB]And confusion surrounds Defoe, who scored the second goal last night. [LNB]The England striker was due to undergo minor surgery to correct a long-standing problem, but after the tie he claimed he had felt no problems and may not require an operation that would have kept him out for two to three weeks. [LNB]Redknapp, though, would prefer Defoe to have the operation now to avoid future problems. [LNB]Spurs owed their success to a hat-trick from Peter Crouch. It was only the second by a Spurs player in the Champions League or European Cup and first since Sept 20, 1961. [LNB]Cliff Jones achieved the feat in the famous 8-1 win against Polish side Gornik Zabrze. [LNB]Spurs are now in pot three of four for the draw, as the 32 teams are split into four seeding pots depending on their Uefa coefficient. [LNB]Spurs will play one of Inter Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan or Lyon from pot one, while Real Madrid are in pot two alongside Werder Bremen, Roma and Valencia. [LNB]FC Twente and Auxerre are two of the eight teams in pot four. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph