Wigan Athletic FC-Tottenham Hotspur Preview

Nov 20, 2009 - 7:06 PM JAMES PIERCY STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Wilson Palacios has revealed international team-mates Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa have been taunting him ahead of Wigan's trip to Tottenham on Sunday.

Spurs midfielder Palacios, 25, faces his former team for the first time since his 12 million pounds switch to White Hart Lane in January.

Palacios, Thomas and Figueroa are all firm friends having starred together for Honduras in qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa next year.

Palacios said: "This should be a good game. Wigan always play good football and they will make it difficult for us, nonetheless we hope to win.

"I still have many friends at the club and I have had three weeks of them talking to me about the game \2013 sending me loads of texts.

"Henry is a good player but I would not say he is similar to me.

"We do not share the same style and I believe we like to play a different sort of game but he is hard to play against.

"Maynor Figueroa probably will not play on Sunday but he is a good friend of mine from the Honduras squad."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will be without captain Ledley King as the defender misses the visit of Wigan with a hamstring problem.

England winger Aaron Lennon may return from the ankle injury which robbed him a place in the England squad for their friendly defeat to Brazil.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has confessed his admiration for Tottenham's aggressive, attacking brand of football.

Martinez has tried to install a flamboyant style within his Wigan side and has witnessed Tottenham's recent rise under Harry Redknapp with a degree of envy.

Martinez said: "Over the last 16 months Spurs have been improving steadily and in every transfer they have looked to strengthen which has given them a fantastic squad.

"It is a club that has a special feel about it, a team that plays a certain style and they are exciting to watch.

"With that in mind I think it will be a really open game and a great advert for Premier League football.

"Harry's curriculum speaks for itself. I have the utmost respect for him and I am a big admirer of all the work he has done throughout his career.

"His management skills have made him successful in every environment he has been in, and now he is putting together a team who are competing with the very best in the Premier League.

"I think the central midfield is going to see a lot of action.

"The way Spurs play and the talent they have in that area is key to their game. In the same respect we have great strength in our midfield to stand up to that threat, so it is certainly going to be a tough battle to get hold of the ball.

"I am expecting an open encounter, played at a high tempo with plenty of chances. I think the result is going to depend on who shows that coolness in front of goal."

Martinez has a relatively slim injury list with only full-back Figueroa definitely out so the Spaniard may persist with the same side that drew with Fulham a fortnight ago.