Bale back as Spurs attempt to keep up

Spurs’ injury-prone captain Ledley King was spared Friday’s Cup game (AFP)

Tottenham Hotspur welcome back Ledley King and Gareth Bale as they host Wigan Athletic tonight, hoping to resume their challenge at the top of the Premier League.

Neither King nor Bale played in Friday evening's underwhelming FA Cup fourth-round win at Watford, but return for league duty tonight. Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe, both of whom did feature at Vicarage Road, face fitness tests today on hamstring injuries. Sandro has returned to training, but the Spurs coaching staff are wary of bringing the midfielder back too quickly in case he strains his calf again.

In their last league match, Spurs went agonisingly close to beating Manchester City, a win that would have moved them within two points of the leaders. That defeat, however, has left them in third, eight points adrift of City.

Spurs' coach Joe Jordan admitted yesterday that the defeat at the Etihad badly hit the club's chances of their first title since 1961. "I think if we had won at City we would have been in [the title race]," he said. "From that result, for us to win the title will be a lot more difficult. But there is quite a number of games to come up between ourselves and clubs who will have a bearing on the top four, and that applies to Man City as well. So anything can happen."

TOTTENHAM V WIGAN

Spurs: FRIEDEL; WALKER; KABOUL; KING; ASSOU-EKOTTO; KRANJCAR; MODRIC; PARKER; BALE; VAN DER VAART; ADEBAYOR

Wigan: AL HABSI; FIGUEROA; GOHOURI; CALDWELL; BOYCE; McARTHUR; WATSON; BEAUSEJOUR; GOMEZ; MOSES; SAMMON

Kick-off 7.45pm (Highlights BBC 1, 10.45pm)

Ref L Probert (Wiltshire) Odds: Tot 1-5; Draw 11-2; Wig 14-1.