Tottenham Hotspur vs Man United: Time for Sandro to Step Up

Tottenham Hotspur come up against Premier League champions and title-chasing Manchester United at White Hart Lane this Sunday in a match that could go a long way to deciding the fate of this season's Premier League title.

Defeat for Spurs will leave them 11 points behind their opponents with just 11 matches remaining, all-but certainly ending their hopes of topping the table once and for all.

Not only that, but it will also open the door to Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool in the race for the remaining two Champions League places.

Victory, on the other hand, might just bring Spurs back into the title hunt, as well as consolidating their advantage in the pursuit of third place and an automatic spot in next season's Champions League group stage.

So with all that in mind, not to mention the 5-2 hammering they received at the hand of their bitterest rivals at The Emirates last weekend, it is time for Tottenham's big players to step up to the plate and show everyone why they deserve to be where they are in the league table.

The only problem with that is that the man currently on course to become the club's player of the year, and therefore one of their most important players, is suspended following his two yellow cards received against Arsenal.

Yes, interim England captain Scott Parker will be missing from the Spurs midfield against United.

Step forward Sandro, or, to give him his full name, Sandro Raniere Guimarães Cordeiro. The Brazilian has had an underwhelming season so far, mostly due to a preseason injury rendering him unavailable for selection for the first half of the campaign.

His path has however also been blocked by the immense form of Parker and Luka Modric in the Spurs engine room.

Brought on at half-time against Arsenal last week, to little effect it must be said, Sandro is again returning to fitness, this time from a calf injury.

However, he did play a bonus 90 minutes in Brazil's recent 2-1 international friendly victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving us to conclude that he is nearing full match fitness.

Many observers were excited about Sandro's ability following heroic displays in both legs of Tottenham's Champions League last 16 victory over AC Milan a year ago, following which he was the subject of much transfer speculation linking him with a move to Italy's Serie A.

After his initial injury however, those moves never materialised, which is not to say that they would have had he not been injured, and his opportunities at Spurs were limited. Now, in the absence of Parker, is his big chance.

As always with such clashes in the Premier League, the battle will be won in midfield and, in the absence of Parker, Sandro's role will be pivotal in preventing the Red Devils from playing to their strengths and dominating the tempo of the match.

If Sandro can influence the game in the same way that Parker has been all season long for Spurs, it could go a long way towards Tottenham defeating Manchester United for the first time since May 2001, and reigniting their Premier League title challenge.