It remains unsure how long Defoe, who is yet to score in the league this season, will be out of action.
“Defoe has an injury again. He’s had a problem with his ankle before and it didn’t feel too good,” Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said in Dubai-based newspaper The National.
“We’re trying to finish in the top four and it’s so close. But we’ve got so many players injured, people forget.
“We’ve got Tom Huddlestone, Younes Kaboul, Ledley King, [Jonathan] Woodgate, [Gareth] Bale, [Rafael] Van der Vaart.
“If you could pick a team of injured players it would be a fantastic team.”
