Spurs to make late check on King

Tottenham will once again check on the fitness of captain Ledley King before deciding on their line-up for tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

King overcame problems with his groin and notoriously fragile knees to skipper the side in Wednesday night’s Champions League thrashing of FC Twente.

Should he start this weekend, he will once again be partnered by Sebastien Bassong, with William Gallas (groin) and Younes Kaboul (hamstring) both still missing, joining long-term absentees Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson (both ligament damage), Jamie O’Hara (back) and Jonathan Woodgate (groin) on the sidelines.

Provisional squad: Gomes, Cudicini, King, Hutton, Bale, Bassong, Corluka, Jenas, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone, Lennon, Palacios, Sandro, Kranjcar, Bentley, Modric, Van der Vaart, Dos Santos, Crouch, Keane, Pavyluchenko, Pletikosa.