Three Lions defender Terry is still battling against a hamstring problem and a decision will be made on Friday to determine if he is ready to return to training.

It means that Liverpool defender Carragher and Tottenham centre-back King have been put on standby for Sunday’s crucial Euro 2004 opener in Lisbon.

Carragher played alongside Sol Campbell in England’s recent demolition of Iceland, but King is also a strong contender having impressed Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson in training.

So far no decision has been made on either Terry’s fitness, or on which player would replace him. But Carragher and King are both on a high.

Carragher told TheFA.com: "I’d love to be involved. It would be a big loss if John Terry wasn’t fit because he’s been in superb form all season and everyone wants him to be fit as soon as possible.

"But if me or Ledley King are brought in we will be ready.

"I’m certain that I’m capable of stepping in, even though it is a massive match. I’ve played in a few of those for Liverpool before, including Cup Finals, so if the chance comes I know I can do it.

"Myself and Sol worked on our partnership before the last game against Iceland and we’ve had two or three sessions since - and me and Ledley have been switching around. The manager has seen us both in action there and we haven’t been told who is in his thoughts. But we are both up for it."

Tottenham star King, who has five caps for England, is bracing himself for a call if Terry is unable to reach full fitness before Sunday’s kick-off.

But, just like Carragher, he insists no decision has been made so far.

He said: "I don’t know if I will play, I don’t know how John Terry is and there’s Jamie Carragher to think about as well. We’re not sure about the situation and I’m just waiting. But if I’m called upon I’ll be honoured..

"Of course I’ve thought about what it would be like. It’s a massive game for the country and it’s something I’ve thought about in my head quite a lot. I’ve thought about what I could do against Thierry Henry if I am playing, and what I should concentrate on.

"I would be nervous, I admit that – it’s a massive game. But I get nervous before every game and it helps me.

"But I won’t let anyone down and the whole squad is looking forward to the game. We believe we can beat them. We have world class players in our team and if we do well on the day there’s no reason why we can’t win."

It looks like a race to the line for Terry, King and Carragher. But one of the three will have to face Thierry Henry on Sunday and all say they are determined not to come out second best.

Carragher said: "Henry has been the best centre-forward in the Premiership for the past few years and he’s probably the best in the world. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.

"I normally play full-back for Liverpool but I still come up against him. He’s a difficult player but we know about his pace and finishing and we’ll be ready. It’s not an individual thing to sort someone that good, it’s a team effort.

"We have to be positive. We will have to defend well if we are going to get anything out of the game but so will France. If you look at Michael Owen’s record in big tournaments it’s fantastic – and Wayne Rooney has burst onto the scene and is as good as anyone, for his age, in the tournament. We also have quality midfielders to provide them with ammunition.

"The squad has been together for a while now. Everyone knows each other, there’s no problems off the pitch and there are no problems on it. We're all ready for France."