Pompey fans will travel to Villa Park tomorrow in hope rather than expectation as Portsmouth take on in-form Aston Villa who have won their last three league games.
Team News
Paul Hart is likely to stick with the same side that lost 3-2 to Bolton, although it is likely he will change the system from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 to try and stop Villa's counter-attacking game.
The game has come too soon for Steve Finnan, Aruna Dindane and Hermann Hreidarsson who are either mssing because of lack of match fitness and/or injury.
The big news coming from Villa is that Martin O'Neill has sent Nigel Reo-Coker home after a big altercation with him. Wilfred Bouma and Curtis Davies are injured but John Carew could return to the side.
The Match
Pompey have had their worst ever start to a season for various reasons we all know about but Villa have bounced back from their opening day defeat at home to Wigan and an early exit from Europe at the hands of Rapid Vienna.
Three straight wins in the league, including wins at Anfield and fierce city rivals Birmingham with a 1-0 win against Fulham sandwiched in between, have catapulted Villa to their best start since 1998.
It's safe to say that this will be a tall order for a newly assembled Pompey team to go to Villa Park and get a result. Whilst some fans say we have to win this one after the disaster last Saturday, a point will be seen as more than acceptable by myself.
I can't see us getting anything out of the game unless our defence has drastically improved during the last week. We gifted Bolton several excellent chances last Saturday and they failed to take them, I doubt Villa will be so generous.
We also have to hope that someone other than Younes Kaboul has their goalscoring boots on. We're not going to create many chances so if Freddie Piquionne has an opportunity, he has to take it. If Jamie O'Hara can deliver a good set piece then we could have a chance of snatching a goal but I expect David James to be busy against his former club tomorrow.
We travel to Villa Park in hope but I feel that hope will be extinguished by 5pm tomorrow. If only we could borrow Sulley Muntari for this one!
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Aston Villa
GK: Brad FRIEDEL
RB: Carlos CUELLAR
CB: James COLLINS
CB: Richard DUNNE
LB: Stephen WARNOCK
RM: James MILNER
CM: Steve SIDWELL
CM: Stiliyan PETROV
LM: Ashley YOUNG
CF: Gabriel AGBONLAHOR
CF: John CAREW
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Anthony VANDEN BORRE
CB: Tal BEN-HAIM
CB: Younes KABOUL
LB: Nadir BELHADJ
RM: Jamie O'HARA
CM: Aaron MOKOENA
CM: Kevin-Prince BOATENG
CM: Michael BROWN
LM: Tommy SMITH
CF: Frederic PIQUIONNE
Last Time: Aston Villa 0 Portsmouth 0
Harry Redknapp's last league game at the Pompey helm ended after he had a coin thrown at him by a Villa fan in the crowd that struck the assistant referee. As for the match, Jermain Defoe blazed over a great chance and Sean Davis was sent off for two bookable offences in a game where Villa piled on the pressure during the second half but failed to find a breakthrough.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Home Win (2-0)
Sky Sports: Home Win (2-0)
Soccernet: Home Win
My Prediction: We may nick a goal from a set-piece but I just can't see our defence dealing with the pace of Young, Milner and Agbonlahor and that will ultimately be our downfall.
Aston Villa 3 Portsmouth 1
Team News
Paul Hart is likely to stick with the same side that lost 3-2 to Bolton, although it is likely he will change the system from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 to try and stop Villa's counter-attacking game.
The game has come too soon for Steve Finnan, Aruna Dindane and Hermann Hreidarsson who are either mssing because of lack of match fitness and/or injury.
The big news coming from Villa is that Martin O'Neill has sent Nigel Reo-Coker home after a big altercation with him. Wilfred Bouma and Curtis Davies are injured but John Carew could return to the side.
The Match
Pompey have had their worst ever start to a season for various reasons we all know about but Villa have bounced back from their opening day defeat at home to Wigan and an early exit from Europe at the hands of Rapid Vienna.
Three straight wins in the league, including wins at Anfield and fierce city rivals Birmingham with a 1-0 win against Fulham sandwiched in between, have catapulted Villa to their best start since 1998.
It's safe to say that this will be a tall order for a newly assembled Pompey team to go to Villa Park and get a result. Whilst some fans say we have to win this one after the disaster last Saturday, a point will be seen as more than acceptable by myself.
I can't see us getting anything out of the game unless our defence has drastically improved during the last week. We gifted Bolton several excellent chances last Saturday and they failed to take them, I doubt Villa will be so generous.
We also have to hope that someone other than Younes Kaboul has their goalscoring boots on. We're not going to create many chances so if Freddie Piquionne has an opportunity, he has to take it. If Jamie O'Hara can deliver a good set piece then we could have a chance of snatching a goal but I expect David James to be busy against his former club tomorrow.
We travel to Villa Park in hope but I feel that hope will be extinguished by 5pm tomorrow. If only we could borrow Sulley Muntari for this one!
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Aston Villa
GK: Brad FRIEDEL
RB: Carlos CUELLAR
CB: James COLLINS
CB: Richard DUNNE
LB: Stephen WARNOCK
RM: James MILNER
CM: Steve SIDWELL
CM: Stiliyan PETROV
LM: Ashley YOUNG
CF: Gabriel AGBONLAHOR
CF: John CAREW
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Anthony VANDEN BORRE
CB: Tal BEN-HAIM
CB: Younes KABOUL
LB: Nadir BELHADJ
RM: Jamie O'HARA
CM: Aaron MOKOENA
CM: Kevin-Prince BOATENG
CM: Michael BROWN
LM: Tommy SMITH
CF: Frederic PIQUIONNE
Last Time: Aston Villa 0 Portsmouth 0
Harry Redknapp's last league game at the Pompey helm ended after he had a coin thrown at him by a Villa fan in the crowd that struck the assistant referee. As for the match, Jermain Defoe blazed over a great chance and Sean Davis was sent off for two bookable offences in a game where Villa piled on the pressure during the second half but failed to find a breakthrough.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Home Win (2-0)
Sky Sports: Home Win (2-0)
Soccernet: Home Win
My Prediction: We may nick a goal from a set-piece but I just can't see our defence dealing with the pace of Young, Milner and Agbonlahor and that will ultimately be our downfall.
Aston Villa 3 Portsmouth 1