Tottenham will be taking on Lyon in the Europa league looking to seal progression to the last 16 stage. They come into the match on the back of the impressive 2-1 win in the first leg.

However, the manager Andre Villas-Boas has a multitude of problems ahead of this match due to the fact that several key players like Jermain Defoe and Tom Huddlestone will be on the sidelines. The manager confirmed that the midfielder Huddlestone will be missing due to a minor problem with his knee. This comes as a major blow especially due to the absence of the Brazilian midfielder Sandro.

Sandro has been ruled out for the rest of the season following an injury suffered few weeks back. The defender Younes Kaboul is also unavailable for the match, as he is still recovering from the knee injury suffered a few weeks ago. The summer signing Hugo Lloris has been able to establish himself in the first team recently, but the manager has said that he will be giving the opportunity for the former first-team regular Brad Friedel. Tottenham have been on an impressive run of form lately and it has been largely due to the form of Gareth Bale. They will be hoping to continue that in the second leg as well.

“Defoe is going to be out, further to our long-term injuries with Younes and Sandro. Tom Huddlestone is going to be out of the game due to some minor pain in the knee. We hope to have most of the players available and free for selection. You’ve seen us do exactly the opposite in the Europa League in the past – particularly with Hugo when Brad was playing – and most likely Brad is going to be in goal,” said Villas-Boas ahead of the match.