Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe will be out of action for a "few weeks" after tearing his hamstring, manager Harry Redknapp confirmed on Friday.
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Defoe, the club's leading scorer this season with 23 goals in all competitions, joins an already lengthy injury list at White Hart Lane that includes Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley, Aaron Lennon, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.
The England striker's goals have helped fire Spurs into the Premier League's coveted fourth place and Defoe will be sorely missed as Tottenham travel to Stoke City at the weekend under pressure to get a result to remain in the final Champions League qualifying spot.
With club-captain Robbie Keane sent on-loan to Celtic, Redknapp has an unexpected striking shortage for the trip to the Britannia Stadium, with only Peter Crouch, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Roman Pavlyuchenko available.
Pavlyuchenko is nevertheless in lethal form after scoring seven goals in his last five outings, and Redknapp will likely pair the Russian with Crouch on Saturday.
