Emmanuel Adebayor Dropped for Tottenham Hotspur Trip to Asteras Tripolis

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has defended the omission of Emmanuel Adebayor for the Europa League trip to Asteras Tripolis amid criticism of the Togo international's recent performances.

Adebayor has scored just once in his last nine appearances for Spurs and was replaced by eventual match-winner Harry Kane after 57 minutes in the 2-1 away win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

The 30-year-old hasn't travelled to any of Tottenham's away European matches this season, and while Pochettino accepts the trend the Argentine refuses to concede the move is premeditated.

Tottenham are without six players for their fourth Europa League group match where victory will be a huge step towards the knock-out phase, with Kyle Walker and Nabil Bentaleb unavailable through injury, while Younes Kaboul, Kyle Naughton, Aaron Lennon and Adebayor have all been rested.

"Aaron Lennon is not here, Kyle Naughton is not here, Younes Kaboul is not here," said Pochettino. "It is the same situation [with Adebayor].

"I decide the list for those coming to Greece and the players here are the players in the squad that will play.

"Okay, yes, it is a reality that Adebayor has not travelled in three games from England, to Limassol, Partizan Belgrade, and here. For every single mission, for every single trip, we have our organisation and selections. We are ready."

After strolling to a 5-1 win over Asteras a fortnight ago, with Harry Kane netting a hat-trick and Erik Lamela scoring twice, Tottenham will be expected to clinch back-to-back group victories - but Pochettino says the Greek club represent a different challenge on home turf.

"Every game is different, a different moment," he said. "We know Asteras at home is a difficult team, a strong team.

"Their supporters are brave and we expect a very, very difficult game. Different, sure, to what we played in London.

"It will be a very important game for Asteras Tripolis, but don't forget we also want the three points."