Bale boost for Spurs

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is confident that Gareth Bale will be fit for tomorrow’s Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid.

Bale has been struggling with a hamstring injury that he sustained on international duty with Wales nine days ago, but has travelled with the Tottenham squad to Madrid and looks set to play in tomorrow’s first leg at the Bernabeu.

Redknapp has revealed, however, that his squad have been hit by further injury problems after Niko Kranjcar suffered a foot injury against Wigan on Saturday.

The Croatian joins Younes Kaboul, Steven Pienaar, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, and Alan Hutton on the sidelines but Redknapp reported good news on William Gallas, who looked all but certain to miss tomorrow’s game when his knee injury flared up last week but could now play.

Redknapp said: “Hopefully Gareth will be fit. He is going to train tonight. Let’s hope he has no problems and if he is OK then he will play.

“William Gallas is going to train tonight. Hopefully he will be fit. Steven Pienaar didn’t travel. He has a groin injury.

“Niko Kranjcar is struggling with a foot injury. He kicked the bottom of someone’s boot on Saturday against Wigan. It is badly bruised and swollen. In fact at the moment we might have six subs on the bench instead of seven.”

Provisional squad: Gomes, Pletikosa, Cudicini, Bassong, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson, Corluka, Bale, Sandro, Jenas, Lennon, Rose, Huddlestone, Modric, Crouch, Kranjcar, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Van der Vaart.