| FA Cup rematch at Fratton Park. |
Birmingham City return to Fratton Park for the re-arranged Premier League fixture after being knocked out of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Team News
John Utaka picked up an injury and so probably won't play tomorrow so Aruna Dindane could take his place. Hassan Yebda remains injured whilst Ricardo Rocha serves the second game of his two match ban so the defence and midfield are likely to be unchanged from Saturday's win.
Alex McLeish may make a few changes to his side, with Michel coming into midfield whilst Chucho Benitez may start instead of Cameron Jerome.
The Match
There's not really much to say here in truth. Our fans will no doubt taunt the visitors about our upcoming trip to Wembley but I'm sure the Brummies will retaliate with the fact that they'll still be in the Premier League under rich ownership next season.
I'm actually surprised how well most of the Birmingham fans have taken the defeat on Saturday given the "goal that never was" and the fact they were so close to Wembley.
It's certainly refreshing to see and it's a stark contrast to some of the Burnley fans who were wishing Pompey to go out of business so that teams around them would lose points after we completed the double over them.
It should be a cracking atmosphere at Fratton Park tomorrow night. Ironically the last time Birmingham came down here for a league game we had just beaten Manchester United in the FA Cup and had booked a trip to Wembley for the first time.
As for the game itself, I'm expecting a different match to Saturday's cup tie. There is no pressure on us so I expect our lads to go out and put on a show. The result won't really matter too much as that nine point penalty is looming but pride is still important.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Steve FINNAN
CB: Tal BEN-HAIM
CB: Hermann HREIDARSSON
LB: Nadir BELHADJ
DM: Michael BROWN
DM: Marc WILSON
CM: Jamie O'HARA
RWF: Aruna DINDANE
LWF: Danny WEBBER
CF: Frederic PIQUIONNE
Birmingham
GK: Joe HART
RB: Stephen CARR
CB: Scott DANN
CB: Roger JOHNSON
LB: Liam RIDGEWELL
RM: Sebastien LARSSON
CM: MICHEL
CM: Lee BOWYER
LM: Barry FERGUSON
CF: James McFADDEN
CF: Christian BENITEZ
Last Time: Portsmouth 4 Birmingham City 2
Jermain Defoe gave Pompey the lead with a penalty following a handball and then scored again shortly as Pompey raced into a two goal lead. However, Birmingham hit back quickly through Fabrice Muamba and levelled before half-time when Larsson curled in a free kick.
Hermann Hreidarsson gave Pompey the lead again with a close range strike and Kanu sealed the game with a header in stoppage time as Birmingham were exposed on the counter-attack.
Pundit Watch
My Prediction: I predict a more open, entertaining affair than Saturday as we're under no pressure and think we can win this one too.
Portsmouth 2 Birmingham City 1 |
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