Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart to miss Champions League clash with Inter Milan
Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart has been ruled out of his side’s UEFA Champions League showdown with Inter Milan on Tuesday, 2 November.
The defending European champions will visit White Hart Lane after winning the previous clash between the sides 4-3.
If Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is to get anything from the game, he will have to do so without several key players. Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson and Ledley King had already been ruled out due to various injuries, while goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes will miss
out through suspension after being sent off at the San Siro.
A further blow to Spurs chances has come in the form of a hamstring strain suffered by Van der Vaart in the defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, 30 October, which will see him left on the sidelines for the visit of Milan.
Redknapp told reporters, "The problem is I’ve probably got five of our very best players missing. The goalkeeper is out, he is suspended, my two centre-halves are out, and there is also Van der Vaart and Defoe. They are key players right down the middle of
the team, so it’s going to be very difficult.
"Van der Vaart is quality, but I think he just got a bit tired and that’s when you get injuries. He hasn’t really had many 90 minutes under his belt. At the World Cup [with Holland], he wasn’t playing 90 minutes and when you get to that
last 25 minutes and go a bit further than you normally go, that’s when something can go wrong."
Though Inter won the previous game against Spurs, the English Premier League side gave the Italians a scare when they almost drew level. Spurs had fallen four goals behind, but a Gareth Bale-inspired fightback saw the Welshman score a hat-trick and come close
to netting a fourth goal.
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