Gareth Bale will get another shot at increasing his star power when Tottenham Hotspur takes on Internazionale in the first leg of the Europa League 2013 Round of 16.
Bale has scored nine goals in his last seven matches and has catapulted Tottenham to third place in the English Premier League.
''I think Gareth has evolved as player. He is even more threatening now,'' Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said during a press conference. ''He's the kind of player who can determine the outcome of a game, as we've seen in recent matches.''
Villas-Boas was cautious about his upcoming opponent however. "We have to be very cautious about Inter Milan," he stated. "They have been European champions very recently and they are going through a tremendous reshuffle of their squad, which they have done properly and invested in young players."
He added, "We are aware that nothing is going to be decided in this first leg. We need to take it to the second leg and hopefully with an advantage that enables us to go through."
Internazionale is coming off a tremendous display in the round of the 32. The team took down CFR Cluj 2-0 in the first leg before disposing of them with a dominant 3-0 victory for an aggregate score of 5-0.
Prediction: The two teams battle to a 2-2 draw; Bale scores a brace for Tottenham.
Start Time: 3:05 PM EST
TV Info: Fox Soccer Channel
Watch Live Stream on ESPN 3 HERE.