Stoke midfielder excited by upcoming battle with Spurs star

Stoke star Glenn Whelan is relishing the prospect of the midfield tussle with Tottenham counterpart in Poznan tomorrow.

The Potters picked up four points against Spurs last season and the Republic of Ireland international is hoping to take this form to international level.

“I’ve done okay,” Whelan said when asked about previous encounters with the Spurs star.

“We beat them at our place this year and they scored a last-minute equaliser at their place.

“I did okay against him. It’s not just about me and him. It’s the team. Against Stoke in the last few years, we’ve done really well. There was talk of Modric going for £30-40million last summer and this summer. He’s done very, very well. But I’ll put myself against him and try to match him.

“He’s one of them that if you give him time and space he’ll hurt you. If you don’t get tight and he can see a pass, he’ll pick that pass out.

“It’s goal-scoring opportunities with the passes he can see. When we played them in a friendly, he played a different role to the way he played for Spurs so it’s something we’ll have to deal with.

“But it’s not just Modric, Croatia have got other players as well. It’s something for me.