Tottenham Hotspur welcome Inter Milan to White Hart Lane on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 clash; arguably the most-anticipated tie of the round.

Gareth Bale, who has scored nine goals in his last seven matches, finds himself in European spotlight yet again, after netting two spectacular free-kicks in the 2-1 home win over Ligue 1 giants Lyon in the Round of 32 last month.

Gareth Bale

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 8.05pm GMT, with ITV, UTV and BBC Radio 5 Live providing live coverage in the UK.

Overview

Andre Villas-Boas' men enter the match high on confidence, after winning five of their last six matches in all competitions. That streak also boasts four successive Premier League wins, including the 2-1 win over cross-town rivals Arsenal last week, which helped them climb to third in the league table, two points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea.

Inter, on the other hand, are also on a good run of form, having won four of their last six matches in all competitions. Andrea Stramaccioni's side are also chasing a Champions League spot for next season, like Spurs, and are currently fourth in the Serie A table, just a point behind archrivals AC Milan.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham beat Lyon 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the Round of 16, while Inter made short work of Romanian champions CFR Cluj, hammering them 5-0 on aggregate.

Bale, even putting aside his breathtaking run of form, would bring back memories of him tormenting the Nerazzurri in both legs of the 2010-11 Champions League group stage games, particularly at San Siro, where he scored an incredible hat-trick, despite Inter winning 4-3. Spurs won 3-1 in the reverse fixture at the Lane, thanks to another inspiring performance from the Welshman.

Form Guide

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Last Five Games (all competitions, most recent first): W W D W W
  • Last Match: Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 Arsenal

Inter Milan

  • Last Five Games (all competitions, most recent first): W L W D W
  • Last Match: Catania 2 - 3 Inter Milan
Inter Milan

Team News

Tottenham Hotspur: Emmanuel Adebayor, who was stretchered off in the second half of the north London derby due to an ankle injury, is a major doubt for this game. However, Moussa Dembele (knee) - who also came off like Adebayor - trained on Wednesday and has been passed fit for the game. Meanwhile, Younes Kaboul, Sandro and Tom Huddlestone (all knee) remain sidelined.

Jermain Defoe, who returned from the sidelines and featured as a substitute against Arsenal, could lead the attack on Thursday, while Brad Friedel, who is preferred in cup games, is likely to replace Hugo Lloris in goal.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Friedel; Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Naughton; Parker, Dembele; Lennon, Bale, Holtby; Defoe

Inter Milan: The Nerazzurri have a few injury concerns as top-scorer Diego Milito (knee) is out for the season, while defenders Walter Samuel (Achilles) and Andrea Ranocchia (knee) are still unavailable. Antonio Cassano was dropped from the squad for the Catania game at the weekend, following a row with Stramaccioni but the striker could return to the line-up against Spurs, after apologising and receiving a fine.

Probable Line-up (4-4-2): Handanovic; Zanetti, Juan, Chivu, Pereira; Guarin, Gargano, Cambiasso, Alvarez; Palacio, Cassano