Ledley King and Jamie Carragher last night insisted they could rise to the challenge of stopping Thierry Henry if John Terry loses his fitness battle for Sunday's Euro 2004 opener against France.

King and Carragher are in contention to partner Sol Campbell if Terry fails to come through a fitness test today.

The Chelsea defender is a key part of England's plans, especially in the absence of Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Southgate and Jonathan Woodgate, but he has been plagued by a hamstring injury for a week.

A Football Association spokesman revealed: ''John Terry is progressing. He has done lots of dynamic work and pitch work.

''However, no decision will be taken on whether he trains with the rest of the squad until Friday morning.''

With Sven-Goran Eriksson having already set Terry a deadline of today to prove his fitness, time is fast running out.

Carragher started alongside Campbell against Iceland in the final warm-up game in Terry's absence, but King has impressed this week and partnered his former Spurs team-mate in training on Wednesday.

Eriksson therefore faces a major decision, especially with both contenders never having played in a tournament before and having been played out of central defence for much of this season.

King is nevertheless insistent that he would not let his country down if called upon to face Henry, David Trezeguet and Zinedine Zidane.

He explained: ''It's only really hit home, now that I'm in the squad, how big this tournament is to everyone.

''But it just gees the players up even more.

"We don't want to let anyone down, we just want to go for it. I don't see why we can't handle that pressure.

"I've handled it all my life so far and, although it's a massive game, I'm ready.''

King, 23, only made his full England debut less than four months ago in a friendly in Portugal, when he scored and forced his way into Eriksson's plans.

He maintained: ''Obviously we're not sure about John yet and there's Jamie Carragher as well, but if I do get the opportunity, I'll be ready and I won't let anyone down. Sometimes you do have to pinch yourself as you look around and see you could be in the team with these players and could be going into the biggest game in your life.

''But I thrive on my nerves before a game.

"They help me to produce my best stuff, even if they'll probably be ten times worse before this match.

''I've played against Thierry before and he's a great player but I just have to see it as another game.

''If I'm picked, I have to relax and do the job I'm capable of.''

Out of necessity, King was used in central midfield for much of this season at Tottenham, but his international chances still did not suffer.

He continued: ''The last few games of the season, I played at the back for Spurs quite well and that helped me - I've always seen myself as a defender.''

Carragher, 26, has more experience on his side, having played in the Champions League and UEFA Cup on a regular basis, although he has, more often than not, been used at full-back for Liverpool.

He reflected: ''I've played full-back for the last few years for Liverpool, but I first got into the team as a centre-half.

''I've got used to it. I've been doing it for years now, so it's not really a problem.

''I'm just delighted to be playing, whether that be for Liverpool or England.''

Whether Carragher can stay ahead of King as Eriksson's first-choice central defensive reserve remains to be seen.

He stressed: ''You don't wish injuries on anyone, you want to be picked on merit, but if it does arise, I'd love to be given the opportunity to come in.

''John Terry will be a miss because he's a top player.

"But I'm sure that if the manager chooses me or Ledley, we certainly won't let him down for the want of trying.'