The new Tottenham signing Emmanuel Adebayor will not have the opportunity to make his debut for the club after signing permanently from Manchester city because a hamstring injury has ruled him out of the match against Lazio.
The 28-year-old Togo international striker was on a loan deal with the club last season and it proved to be extremely successful. Hence, the club decided to sign the player on a permanent basis. Since signing for the club a few weeks ago, Emmanuel Adebayor has found him on the bench, with the manager Andre Villas-Boas preferring the striker Jermain Defoe upfront instead.
However, he was expected to start the match against Lazio, as Tottenham look to win the Europa league. It still appears that Emmanuel Adebayor is not the first choice striker to the club because the club are regarding the Europa league as a secondary competition when compared to the Premier league. Yet, the 28-year-old would have had the opportunity to make his first start for the club, but a hamstring injury has meant that he has not travelled with the squad for this match. The manager Andre Villas-Boas said prior to the match that he would like to win the Europa league for the second time.
“I expect their [Lazio’s] strongest team, they are experienced. We have to do our job and get through the group, then see what the draw brings. Based on the respect we have for the competition, we have to get them [the players] used to playing these midweek games. If we can create this habit, then their mental and physical disposition for the game will be higher than it was before,” said the Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas prior to the match. He has said that his team should not take Lazio lightly.