The Tottenham Hotspur had the dreadful start to their Europa league 2013 quarterfinals as the team drew 2-2 against FC Basel at home. More importantly, the team lost MVP Gareth Bale to injury during the course of the game.
The team battled back from a 2-0 deficit but was handicapped when Bale went down during a tussle with David Degen.
"Gareth has rolled over his ankle and we still need to get assessment that we can only have on Friday," said manager Andre Villas-Boas. "But it shouldn't be as bad as it looks in the images. He has torn that ligament before and there's nothing to tear now. There is lots of swelling and the pain is obviously very, very big but we hope to assess him tomorrow."
He asserted that his star player could even back as soon as the game against Manchester City on April 21.
"There is a big possibility he is going to be able to make it for the Man City game and he will only miss the next two games, but assurances we can only give you tomorrow when we have seen the scan," he added. However, "I do not want to mislead you. Tomorrow "we will know better but I'm pretty confident that Gareth will definitely play again this season. From the medical department's first analysis, everything is positive."
The team imploded in its second leg of the round of 16 against Inter Milan without Bail, but Villas-Boas believes the team can persevere without him.
We've played without Bale before and we've got the results that we needed; that have put us in the position we are in the league, also. We recognize the form the player is in but the squad will step up a level in his absence. Key players are always missed by any team but we have played without him before," asserted Villas-Boas.
The second leg will be played on April 11.