Defoe determined to take City scalp

Jermain Defoe insists Tottenham are capable of pulling off the shock victory which eluded them by the smallest of margins at Manchester City last season.

Tottenham head to Lancashire brimming with confidence after bouncing back from their horror show against Wigan with a fine display in Thursday's 3-1 win over Maribor.

Spurs know a much bigger test awaits them at the Etihad Stadium, where they suffered an agonising 3-2 defeat last season.

Had Defoe been an inch taller, the Londoners would have probably beaten Roberto Mancini's men.

With the score at 2-2, the diminutive hitman just failed to get on the end of Gareth Bale's cross in the final minute before the hosts went up the other end and scored a last-gasp penalty.

Tottenham have struggled against mediocre top-flight teams so far this term, but Defoe thinks this season's memorable 3-2 win over City's neighbours Manchester United -- their first at Old Trafford since 1989 -- proves the team can upset the odds at the home of the champions tomorrow.

Fantastic

"If you win at United, you can win anywhere and not just in England, anywhere in Europe," Defoe said. " If we can do the same at City it would be fantastic."

So far this season Mancini has failed to get his team playing the enterprising football that won them the title last year.

The Italian's team have won just one of their last four games and they stand on the brink of exiting the Champions League after a winless start to the competition.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas, however, sounded a note of caution when discussing the prospect of claiming a vital win in Manchester.

He said: "They had an amazing start last year and then a dip towards the end. It can go the other way round for them.

"A team with such talent and ability is always in a position to bounce back."