Adebayor ready to do battle with gunners

Emmanuel Adebayor has told Tottenham Hotspur staff that he is ready to play in tomorrow's FA Cup third-round tie against Arsenal, having been carried off on a stretcher during the victory over Manchester United on Wednesday

Spurs' man of the moment, the scorer of their first goal in the 2-1 win, was a major doubt after the match at Old Trafford but was in much better shape at the club's training ground yesterday and will be a key figure as they prepare to face Arsenal in the stand-out game of the round.
With Jermain Defoe injured and Roberto Soldado still unable to hit a run of goal scoring form, head coach Tim Sherwood is relying on Adebayor to lead the attack as the club struggles with a number of injuries to key players.
There is little possibility of any of those returning for tomorrow's tie, with Andros Townsend the closest. The England winger damaged a hamstring in the League Cup quarter-final defeat to West Ham and is pushing for a return.
Sandro and Paulinho are still three weeks away while Jan Vertonghen, a key figure, may only be able to return from a knee problem at the end of the month.
There is little prospect of Lewis Holtby, who has a knee injury, or Younes Kaboul being back for the weekend either. Sherwood has put his trust thus far in the young players who worked under him with the club's U-21s, giving chances to Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane, both of whom made substitute appearances in the win at Old Trafford.
Despite the injury problems, there is a reluctance for Spurs to do any major transfer business this month with such a big squad. The belief is that there are more than enough players to see them through the season when they get the majority back to fitness.