Redknapp 'hopeful' Bale will face Madrid

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp hopes his decision to wrap Gareth Bale in cotton wool will paid dividends when his side face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Wales international Bale sat out the 0-0 draw against Wigan yesterday with a nagging hamstring strain which also caused him to miss the defeat by England in a Euro 2012 qualifier.

But such was Bale’s improvement in fitness that he was on the point of getting the call at the DW Stadium, only for Redknapp to resist the temptation.

Instead, the rampaging winger is likely to start in the quarter-final, first leg in Spain, but former Arsenal and Chelsea defender William Gallas is again likely to be sidelined with a knee problem.

Redknapp said: “I am very hopeful about Gareth. The feeling was if he had have played at Wigan he might have cramped up on his hamstring. So we rested him and hopefully he will be okay for Tuesday.

“I am hoping William will be fit but he is more doubtful. He was not able to train on Friday.”

Redknapp has a defensive headache ahead of the trip to the Bernabeu with Alan Hutton likely to miss the rest of the season as he is to undergo knee surgery, while Ledley King, Younes Kaboul and Jonathan Woodgate are also injured.

Tottenham’s progress in the Champions League has been nothing short of remarkable and Redknapp knows they are stepping up a level against Jose Mourinho’s side.

Wigan owner Dave Whelan interrupted his press conference to wish him luck and Redknapp said: “We have a big week and a massive game to come on Tuesday, so we will see how we go. Of course it will be a tough game against Real Madrid. We will have to play better than we did at Wigan if we are going to get the result we need there.”

Tottenham’s domestic form may have dipped in recent weeks, but they are still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe’s top club competition for a second successive season.

Redknapp said: “In the last four games we have dropped points with three draws and a defeat when you would have thought we would have picked up more.

“It is disappointing but we need to keep pushing on, keep improving. It is tough to win games away from home. Every one is a very difficult game.

“I think the Real Madrid scout must have gone away scared stiff. I did not enjoy the game at all. It was one of those days.”

Wigan could have turned one point into three but goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes proved unbeatable, blocking goalbound efforts from Tom Cleverley and substitute Connor Sammon late on.

The Latics now face three successive away games against Chelsea, Blackpool and Sunderland, but manager Roberto Martinez is optimistic they can avoid the drop.

He said: “I am very confident we can reproduce the level of performance we have shown in our last seven games.

“We don’t expect any favours from the other teams. We just need to get 41 points and see where we are.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are home or away in the Premier League, they are very difficult games. We have 21 points to play for and we are going to give our lives to achieve our goal.”

Former Kilmarnock striker Sammon, who arrived in January, could have sealed victory but Martinez had nothing but praise for him.

“He looks a Premier League player already,” Martinez added. “It was just that Gomes had a great afternoon.”