Reuters/London

Tottenham Hotspur’s English striker Jermain Defoe (C) attends a training session at Tottenham’s training ground yesterday in preparation for their UEFA Champions League round of 16, second leg football match today against AC Milan. (AFP
Tottenham Hotspurs can underline their credentials as viable Champions League contenders today by adding the knockout-stage scalp of AC Milan to that of holders Inter who they beat in the group stage.
Spurs fans have enjoyed a Champions League debut season beyond their dreams as they delivered a swashbuckling 18-goal romp through the group stage.
Now, having produced a performance of defensive maturity in the San Siro to match any of the competition’s grand names, and added the huge bonus of Peter Crouch’s superb away goal, the Londoners have become a team others will want to avoid.
Coach Harry Redknapp, whose team ripped Inter Milan apart 3-1 in the group stage, said he intended to maintain his attacking approach.
“When you have that advantage in a two-legged game, if you sit back and think you have the lead then you find yourself in trouble,” he said. “It’s not natural for us to sit on a 1-0 lead for 90 minutes.”
The Spurs drew 3-3 with Wolverhampton on Sunday and though the result was disappointing, Redknapp was pleased to see Gareth Bale come through a 20-minute run unscathed and to see Jermain Defoe back among the goals.
Bale, who tormented Inter Milan both at home and away, missed six weeks with a back injury, but he should start on Wednesday, which will add attacking width on the left and compliment the threat of Aaron Lennon on the right.
Rafael van der Vaart,
who is behind much of the side’s best attacking work, should also be fit after a calf injury.
Defoe scored twice on Sunday, his first league goals in 11 months, and with Roman Pavlyuchenko also on target and Crouch looking the part in Europe, Redknapp has good options.
Serie A leaders AC Milan have won three straight league games since losing the first leg, but they are out several key players and have a terrible record in England.
In 14 visits, the seven-times European champions have won once and lost nine times, including last season when they were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester United at the same stage.
Midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng is unlikely to face his former team after hurting his ankle in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Juventus.
His absence would be a blow given that Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini are injured, Mark van Bommel is ineligible and Gennaro Gattuso is suspended.
Coach Massimiliano Ambrosini may have to employ a makeshift midfield of Clarence Seedorf, Mathieu Flamini and German youngster Alexander Merkel or play left back Marek Jankulovski further forward. The Czech won over doubters at the San Siro who assumed his Milan career was over after being on the fringes for over a year.
“A player that I really like at the moment, who is doing really well, is Jankulovski,” Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said.