Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas holds inquest with defenders to resolve rash of late goals In this period, we have a lot of games and some players are tired - they have already played more than 20 games this season, which is a lot. It's very intense. With Villas-Boas committed to winning the Europa League, the knockout stages are likely to bring no respite for the senior players. The Tottenham manager received a boost on Wednesday with news that winger Gareth Bale could be back in action against Stoke on Saturday following a hamstring injury. "It's good news," Villas-Boas said. First for the player because he wants to be back in the group and he's made a tremendous recovery. Tottenham are part of a strong English contingent in the competition, with Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea, who qualify after coming third in their Champions League group, all still involved. The English teams cannot meet in the last 32, and Chelsea and Liverpool can expect marginally easier paths to the last 16, the draw for which will also take place on Thursday, as they are among the 16 seeded teams. Chelsea could face Atletico Madrid, the home of Europe's most-wanted striker Radamel Falcao, or Italian clubs Inter Milan and Napoli, both of whom are in the unseeded group with Spurs and Newcastle. Zenit St Petersburg, blighted by supporters openly demanding all-white all-heterosexual teams, are another potential opponent. Among the seeds, Champions League dropouts Olympiacos and Benfica could provide the opposition for Spurs and Newcastle. The first legs of the last-32 games will be played on Feb 14 at the home of the unseeded teams, with the return games a week later.