PRAGUE is a party city, the hens and stags long ago having made it their favourite haunt for riotous merriment. Whether Tottenham Hotspur, whose partying has been on hold for seven years, will be celebrating here this evening is another matter.
Tottenham take on Slavia Prague in the first leg of their Uefa Cup first-round tie in the Stadion Evzen Rosicky. It is the first time they have played in Europe since a Stephen Carr own goal condemned them to defeat by 1FC Kaiserslautern, of Germany, in the second round of the same competition in 1999.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder and for Ledley King, the Tottenham captain, his frustration has been magnified by a five-month layoff because of foot and knee injuries. He missed the World Cup finals with England and returned for his club only on Saturday, in the 1-0 defeat away to Manchester United.
“It’s been the toughest period of my career,” King, who was an unused substitute against Kaiserslautern, said. “Missing the World Cup was a big blow. Hopefully, it’s just made me stronger and being in Europe shows the club is moving in the right direction. We should be in Europe every year.”
Although Aaron Lennon is unlikely to recover from a knee injury — he told a fan yesterday as he left training: “I still felt it a bit” — Martin Jol, the head coach, remains confident. “We did quite well against United,” Jol said. “If we can do the same here as we did for large parts of that game, we should be OK.”
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SLAVIA PRAGUE (probable; 4-4-2): M Vorel — M Krajcik, M Latka, M Suchy, D Hubacek — P Janda, L Jarolim, T Hrdlicka, D Svento — S Vicek, P Fort.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (possible; 4-4-2): P Robinson — P Chimbonda, M Dawson, L King, B Assou-Ekotto — J Jenas, D Zokora, E Davids, T Tainio — R Keane, Mido.
Referee: H Piccirillo (France).
TELEVISION: Live on Five from 6.45pm (kick-off 7pm).