Tottenham and a certain Gareth Bale will look to carry forward their form in the English Premier League when they take on a dangerous Lyon in the Europa League.
The first leg of the round of 32 at White Hart Lane promises to be a rousing affair, with both sides capable of toppling the other, and indeed going all the way to win the title.
Spurs have been on a good run in the Premier League, thanks largely to the brilliance of Bale who has been one of the players of the season so far.
The tie will also be a pretty emotional one for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who only made the switch to White Hart Lane in the summer, having spent four successful years with Lyon.
"Yes, I received a lot of calls and messages! I have a lot of friends there still," the French international goalkeeper told the club's official website.
"It's not easy for me because I have a good relationship with all my ex-teammates but that is football, that is the life.
"On the pitch there are no friends. We play for our team and give all the best for our team.
"The objective is to be in the next round. We have ambition in this competition -- we want to win."
"It will be special for Hugo, especially at the Stade de Gerland," Lyon manager Remi Garde added. "Hopefully he won't be eager to shine, but actually I'm sure he will."
Lyon, while being a shadow of the side that dominated the French league and constantly reached the latter stages of the Champions League, still pose a serious threat and have a lot more experience in Europe than their opponents.
"The Europe League is clearly a target for us," Garde said, "but this round won't be easy. We're up against a team in good form in their league who have the quality to play in the Champions League."
Tottenham will have to take advantage of the fact that Lyon have been struggling in the French League, and are coming on the back of a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Lille at the weekend, which left them six points adrift of leaders Paris Saint Germain, who won at Valencia in the Champions League Tuesday.
Spurs, meanwhile, are riding high having secured a hard fought 2-1 win over Newcastle and Andre Villas-Boas will be keen to see more of the same from his side.
Jermain Defoe remains sidelined for the Premier League club, with Younnes Kaboul and Sandro also ruled out. Emmanuel Adebayor is likely to get a start, but it will be interesting to see whether Bale is given the chance to impress again in the central position.
Expected lineups: Tottenham: Friedel; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto; Parker, Dembele; Lennon, Bale, Dempsey; Adebayor.
Lyon: Vercoutre; Reveillere, Dabo, Bisevac, Umtiti; Grenier, Malbranque, Gonalons, Ghezzal; Lopez, Gomis.
Prediction: 2-1 to Spurs
