Soccer-Alderweireld a doubt for Tottenham's trip to Palace

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld is a doubt for his side's Premier League clash at Crystal Palace on Sunday after suffering a leg injury in training, manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

Belgium international Alderweireld has made only two FA Cup appearances since injuring his hamstring against Real Madrid in the Champions League in November.

"Toby could not finish the training session, he suffered a small incident in the leg and we'll see if he is available for training," Pochettino told a news conference.

"We hope it is not a big issue. We need to assess him and we can't decide until tomorrow."

Tottenham are fifth in the Premier League ahead of the trip to Palace.

They are one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and four behind second-placed Manchester United who play each other on Sunday, so victory in south London would be a huge boost.

Palace are hovering just above the relegation zone but made life difficult for Tottenham earlier this season when Pochettino's side edged a 1-0 victory.

"Crystal Palace are doing a fantastic job, we need to match them and be ready to fight and deliver our game," Pochettino said. "It will be very tough but it is so important to win the three points and be involved in the fight for the top four.

"The three points are massive for us." (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)