Andre Villas-Boas expects tough Stoke City test

Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas has warned his side to expect a tough test when they face Stoke City on Saturday.

Stoke have the best defensive record in the Premier League so far this season having kept eight clean sheets, two more than any other team in the league.

Villas-Boas is all too aware of the challenge facing his side, and was keen to praise the way that Stoke had established themselves as a Premier League side in recent years.

"They have been having an amazing year among the best defences in Europe so it will certainly be a very hard game. They are a good, solid, organised team and they have a manager who has a specific philosophy that they have been very successful with," said Villas-Boas.

"They believe in their football and they believe in what they do. Aesthetics can differ. You can interpret their game in one way and I can do it in another, but all of us respect it - because it is successful for them.

"They've been extremely successful in the Premier League so I compliment them for that. Tony [Pulis] has in some ways transformed the fortunes of Stoke. They are a competitive team, a really hard team to beat and it's not going to be easy for us."

Spurs currently sit fourth in the Premier League table while Stoke are five points behind them in ninth.