Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed that striker Emmanuel Adebayor will be unavailable for their Europa League clash against Maribor due to a recurring back problem.

The former Manchester City frontman has had a frustrating start to the season at White Hart Lane due to a number of injury issues.

"Adebayor has a pain in his back that he has had for quite some time," said Villas-Boas. "He had it last season too.

"He felt it in the first training session recovering from the Chelsea game, for players who weren't involved from the start. So he didn't travel with the team.

"The assessment gives us the chance to count on him for Southampton on Sunday, as there is not much time between games."

Adebayor, who had a prolific campaign for Spurs during a loan stint last season, signed a permanent deal at the North London club in the summer.