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Tottenham coach Andre Villas-Boas has promised to take a full squad, including reigning Footballer of the Year and the Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year Gareth Bale, to face Jamaica's Reggae Boyz in The Bahamas on May 23.
And while the coach admits that the game will come at a time when the club could be slipping down a gear after a long season, he has every intention of winning the encounter.
"We are very focused on the match, even though it comes at a time when we are not playing, but we are preparing for it. We will do whatever it takes to win the game," Villas-Boas told Bahamian publication the Tribune 242 (http://www.tribune242.com).
With the North London-based club wrapping up a series of tough fixtures this coming Saturday, with a game against Sunderland that could have ramifications in their chase for Champion's League football, there had been concerns that the majority of the team's players including Bale, who could be heading away from the club in the summer, would not make an appearance.
"Gareth is going to travel with the team. This is an opportunity for him to touch that fan base that he has around the world," Villas-Boas said. "So we are looking forward to him coming and competing down there," he added.
"All of our players will be coming down. We have a few developmental players and we hope to bring them all so that they can get the experience," Villas-Boas said. "We are coming to compete against the Jamaican national team. We don't know what they will bring, but we will be ready for them."
The match will certainly hold more serious implications for the Jamaicans, who will be looking to sharpen up ahead of a crucial set of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying games next month. The team, currently at the bottom of the six-team group after three games, will play three games in quick succession, Mexico on June 4, the United States three days later. The team will then travel to Honduras on the 11th.
And while the coach admits that the game will come at a time when the club could be slipping down a gear after a long season, he has every intention of winning the encounter.
"We are very focused on the match, even though it comes at a time when we are not playing, but we are preparing for it. We will do whatever it takes to win the game," Villas-Boas told Bahamian publication the Tribune 242 (http://www.tribune242.com).
With the North London-based club wrapping up a series of tough fixtures this coming Saturday, with a game against Sunderland that could have ramifications in their chase for Champion's League football, there had been concerns that the majority of the team's players including Bale, who could be heading away from the club in the summer, would not make an appearance.
"Gareth is going to travel with the team. This is an opportunity for him to touch that fan base that he has around the world," Villas-Boas said. "So we are looking forward to him coming and competing down there," he added.
"All of our players will be coming down. We have a few developmental players and we hope to bring them all so that they can get the experience," Villas-Boas said. "We are coming to compete against the Jamaican national team. We don't know what they will bring, but we will be ready for them."
The match will certainly hold more serious implications for the Jamaicans, who will be looking to sharpen up ahead of a crucial set of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying games next month. The team, currently at the bottom of the six-team group after three games, will play three games in quick succession, Mexico on June 4, the United States three days later. The team will then travel to Honduras on the 11th.
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