In-form Defoe can strike again for Tottenham
Harry Redknapp looks set to ring the changes for the visit of Europa League Group A table-toppers Rubin Kazan on Thursday evening and one man who can benefit from a shuffling of the pack is Jermain Defoe, who has started to looked sharp in recent weeks.
The Tottenham manager is almost certain to rest Luka Modric, Scott Parker, Rafael van der Vaart and Emanuel Adebayor, meaning that young midfielder Tom Carroll could start along with Danny Rose and Giovani Dos Santos. In attack Roman Pavlyuchenko looks set to partner Defoe, who has netted twice in his last three outings. At the back is where Tottenham's injury problems hit crisis point with Sebastien Bassong and Younes Kaboul the only fit central defenders for Thursday night.
Tottenham have won their last three home matches in all competitions, with two of those victories impressive ones against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League. The problem from a betting point of view is that we won't know for definite until just before the kick-off how many first team squad members will actually start.
Rubin Kazan are unlikely to prove pushovers for Tottenham having returned from their visit to Shamrock Rovers with a 3-0 victory, before drawing 2-2 at home to PAOK, after trailing early on in the match. They also currently sit sixth in the Russian Premier League only a couple of points behind the likes of Spartak and Lokomotiv Moscow so merit the utmost respect.
Striking a bet on the outcome of this match is fraught with danger with both sides likely to be missing several key men, but one player that looks almost certain to start is Jermain Defoe and he has plenty of reason to impress in this match. Not only is he fighting for a regular first-team slot at Tottenham, but he's also out to impress England boss Fabio Capello with a view to replacing the banned Wayne Rooney when Euro 2012 gets underway.
Odds of 2.20 for Jermain Defoe to score at anytime with William Hill represents tremendous value and should be snapped up immediately.