Pompey take on desperate Newcastle United tomorrow night at St. James' Park knowing a win will all but secure safety with 40 points on the board.
Alan Shearer has yet to see his side win having been beaten by Chelsea and Tottenham, with his only point coming at Stoke. He has marked down all three of Newcastle's home games as must-win matches, starting with Pompey.
That won't be an easy task for the Toon who are winless in eight games and are up against a Portsmouth side who were unbeaten in eight until defeat at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
But Shearer is taking any omens he can heading towards what many Geordies are billing as one of the biggest games in their history. It was against Pompey that Shearer broke Jackie Milburn's goalscoring record to become their all-time top scorer.
Shearer probably wishes he could play tomorrow but he'll have to make do with Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka who are a handful for any defence despite their poor form during this campaign.
Jose Enrique is set to return at left back for the Magpies but Steven Taylor and Joey Barton shouldn't be fit to start the game. Newcastle's defence has been very generous this season so hopefully Peter Crouch can cause some mayhem in the box.
Younes Kaboul may return from injury which would allow him to play at right back and push Glen Johnson forward. David Nugent should also recover from his slight injury to take his place on the left although I hope Nadir Belhadj will be given a chance to shine after his performance on Wednesday.
I would take a draw from this game for two reasons. A point would be far better for us than it would be for them and I have that horrid feeling that we're going to lose this game.
With the Geordies desperate, Shearer yet to win as manager and a poor record at St. James' Park (bar last season) I think the writing is on the wall. Please prove me wrong Pompey!
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Newcastle
GK: Steve HARPER
RB: Habib BEYE
CB: Sebastien BASSONG
CB: Fabricio COLOCCINI
LB: JOSE ENRIQUE
RM: Ryan TAYLOR
CM: Kevin NOLAN
CM: Nicky BUTT
LM: Damien DUFF
CF: Obafemi MARTINS
CF: Michael OWEN
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Younes KABOUL
CB: Sol CAMPBELL
CB: Sylvain DISTIN
LB: Hermann HREIDARSSON
RM: Glen JOHNSON
CM: Sean DAVIS
CM: Hayden MULLINS
CM: Richard HUGHES
LM: David NUGENT
CF: Peter CROUCH
Last Time: Newcastle United 1 Pompey 4
Pompey stormed into a three goal lead thanks to a rocket from Noe Pamarot, a nice finish from Benjani after he made a mockery of Cacapa and John Utaka after he rounded the 'keeper.
The Toon pulled one back immediately thanks to a fortunate Sol Campbell own goal but Niko Kranjcar's second half free kick eluded the Newcastle defence to make sure of the points for Pompey.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Home Win (2-1)
My Prediction: I hate to say it but I have a bad feeling about this one. It's all set up for Newcastle to win but I hope I'm made to eat my words.
Newcastle United 2 Pompey 0
Alan Shearer has yet to see his side win having been beaten by Chelsea and Tottenham, with his only point coming at Stoke. He has marked down all three of Newcastle's home games as must-win matches, starting with Pompey.
That won't be an easy task for the Toon who are winless in eight games and are up against a Portsmouth side who were unbeaten in eight until defeat at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
But Shearer is taking any omens he can heading towards what many Geordies are billing as one of the biggest games in their history. It was against Pompey that Shearer broke Jackie Milburn's goalscoring record to become their all-time top scorer.
Shearer probably wishes he could play tomorrow but he'll have to make do with Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka who are a handful for any defence despite their poor form during this campaign.
Jose Enrique is set to return at left back for the Magpies but Steven Taylor and Joey Barton shouldn't be fit to start the game. Newcastle's defence has been very generous this season so hopefully Peter Crouch can cause some mayhem in the box.
Younes Kaboul may return from injury which would allow him to play at right back and push Glen Johnson forward. David Nugent should also recover from his slight injury to take his place on the left although I hope Nadir Belhadj will be given a chance to shine after his performance on Wednesday.
I would take a draw from this game for two reasons. A point would be far better for us than it would be for them and I have that horrid feeling that we're going to lose this game.
With the Geordies desperate, Shearer yet to win as manager and a poor record at St. James' Park (bar last season) I think the writing is on the wall. Please prove me wrong Pompey!
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Newcastle
GK: Steve HARPER
RB: Habib BEYE
CB: Sebastien BASSONG
CB: Fabricio COLOCCINI
LB: JOSE ENRIQUE
RM: Ryan TAYLOR
CM: Kevin NOLAN
CM: Nicky BUTT
LM: Damien DUFF
CF: Obafemi MARTINS
CF: Michael OWEN
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Younes KABOUL
CB: Sol CAMPBELL
CB: Sylvain DISTIN
LB: Hermann HREIDARSSON
RM: Glen JOHNSON
CM: Sean DAVIS
CM: Hayden MULLINS
CM: Richard HUGHES
LM: David NUGENT
CF: Peter CROUCH
Last Time: Newcastle United 1 Pompey 4
Pompey stormed into a three goal lead thanks to a rocket from Noe Pamarot, a nice finish from Benjani after he made a mockery of Cacapa and John Utaka after he rounded the 'keeper.
The Toon pulled one back immediately thanks to a fortunate Sol Campbell own goal but Niko Kranjcar's second half free kick eluded the Newcastle defence to make sure of the points for Pompey.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Home Win (2-1)
My Prediction: I hate to say it but I have a bad feeling about this one. It's all set up for Newcastle to win but I hope I'm made to eat my words.
Newcastle United 2 Pompey 0