Tottenham vs. Inter Milan: Key Matchups at White Hart Lane

For the first leg of the UEFA Europa League, Inter Milan will have to try to stop Gareth Bale while Tottenham will seek to exploit the holes in the injury-plagued Italian side.

Tottenham are full of confidence after coming away with a 2-1 win against archrival Arsenal. They have been outstanding in the EPL lately and have climbed all the way to third place.

If Tottenham can keep this up, they might even have a chance at second place.

On the other hand, Inter Milan are struggling. They have only won two out of their last five and are missing several key players to injuries.

Inter Milan lost Diego Milito for the season almost a month ago and their offense has suffered since.

Here are two key matchups to look out for when the teams clash together at White Hart Lane.

Gareth Bale vs. Walter Gargano

If Inter Milan decide to man-mark Gareth Bale, Walter Gargano could be the one who gets the job.

The explosive defensive midfielder from Uruguay is the one who is most likely to succeed in closing down Bale and denying him space. That being said, it’s not going to be easy.

Bale is having an amazing season and has established himself as one of the top goalscorers in the EPL. So far he has 16 goals, which puts him in third place behind Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez.

Not to mention that Bale has a history of performing well against Inter Milan. In 2010, he famously scored a hat trick when the teams met in the Champions League.

Considering that Bale has only progressed over the last three years, Inter Milan should be very worried about the Welshman.

Rodrigo Palacio vs. Brad Friedel

In Milito’s absence, Rodrigo Palacio has started to get a larger role in Inter Milan’s offense. Last Sunday, he scored two goals, including a stoppage-time winner, when Inter came back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

If Inter Milan is going to get away from White Hart Lane with a win, then Palacio needs to be at the top of his game.

On the opposite end, there’s Brad Friedel. The 41-year-old goalkeeper from Ohio is showing no signs of slowing down.

He has even signed a new deal keeping him in London until 2014. Tottenham have only conceded 14 goals at home in the league this year, so Palacio has his work cut out for him.