Fulham vs Pompey Preview

Last updated : 06 October 2007 By Jim Bonner
Players who previously played for the other team will be reunited with their former team mates on Sunday (with a couple of Scummers thrown in for good measure). There'll probably be plenty of goals too.

Sean Davis and Papa Bouba Diop return to West London in hopes of putting one over their previous club whilst Dejan Stefanovic, Alexei Smertin and Diomansy Kamara will want to prove a point to their old manager. Chris Baird and Antti Niemi are bound to receive a hot reception from one end of the ground too.

Lawrie Sanchez's men have drawn their last two home games 3-3 whilst we were involved in the highest scoring Premier League game of all time last Saturday. It's safe to say that this game will have goals in it!

Reports suggest that both managers are likely to go with unchanged sides from last weekend's results. That means Pompey fans won't be able to give Niemi a hard time as Kasey Keller will keep his place in goal, although he once played for Southampton too.

Diomansy Kamara will probably start on the bench whilst Dejan might not even make the Fulham squad. Smertin is likely to start though whilst Healy and Dempsey are always a threat up front.

Kanu is struggling with injury, so that's practically made Harry's striker decision for him with Benjani starting the game with Kranjcar and Utaka either side in a 4-3-3-cum-4-5-1 formation.

If we do have European ambitions, we should not be losing to teams like Fulham at all. A point away from home might not be a bad result on the face of it, but we've got the players and the confidence to go to Craven Cottage and win.

Predicted Starting Line-Ups

Fulham

GK: Kasey KELLER

RB: Aaron HUGHES
CB: Chris BAIRD
CB: Carlos BOCANEGRA
LB: Paul KONCHESKY

RM: Simon DAVIES
CM: Alexei SMERTIN
CM: Steve DAVIS
LM: SEOL Ki-Hyeon

CF: Clint DEMPSEY
CF: David HEALY

Bench: Antti NIEMI, Danny MURPHY, Hameur BOUAZZA, Diomansy KAMARA, Collins JOHN

Pompey

GK: David JAMES

RB: Glen JOHNSON
CB: Sol CAMPBELL
CB: Sylvain DISTIN
LB: Hermann HREIDARSSON

CM: Sulley MUNTARI
CM: Papa BOUBA DIOP
CM: Sean DAVIS

LWF: Niko KRANJCAR
RWF: John UTAKA
CF: BENJANI

Bench: Jamie ASHDOWN, Noe PAMAROT, LAUREN, Matthew TAYLOR, David NUGENT

Last Time: Fulham 1 Pompey 1

Niko Kranjcar scored a peach of a goal that curled past a helpless Niemi. Fulham stole a point after the crocked Ian Pearce struck a fierce shot at goal that deflected past David James in stoppage time.

Pundit Watch

Lawro: Home Win (2-1)
Sky Sports: Draw (1-1)
Soccernet: Away Win
Footy-Mad: Away Win

My Prediction: Draw (2-2)