Match Preview: City v Portsmouth

City entertain Portsmouth on Sunday eager to put the disappointment of their Carling Cup defeat behind them.

The blues lost 4-3 on aggregate at Old Trafford and it was a bitter pill for blues to swallow, with the supporters so hungry for success. A win for the blues on Sunday will keep them in touch with Liverpool and Spurs in the hunt for fourth spot in the league.

City currently lie in sixth place, level on points with Liverpool but only three points behind Spurs and have the benefit of having two games in hand on their rivals.

Portsmouth are the crisis club of the Premiership and are facing a winding up over from HMRC over an unpaid tax bill and rumours of players being sold without prior knowledge or consent of the management. The club have also had their transfer embargo lifted but only in respect for loan or free signings

The South Coast club lie bottom of the Premiership, which is where they have been for most of the season and rumours have circulated that manager Avram Grant may quit the club following Sunday’s game regardless of the result.

Team News

 

Kolo Toure will be available again after returning from the African Cup of Nations but Joleon Lescott and new signing Patrick Vieira are still out injured. Benjani is unlikely to feature against his former club as he is in talks with Sunderland about a possible loan move while Robinho has joined Santos on loan.

Portsmouth welcome back midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who is on loan from Spurs but star players Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic are on the verge of completing moves to White Hart Lane. David Nugent has returned from a loan spell at Burnley and could feature.

Teams

 

City (from): Given, Taylor, Zabaleta, Richards, Boyata, Onuoha, Toure, Sylvinho, Garrido, Trippier, Wright-Phillips, Kompany, De Jong, Barry, Ibrahim, Bellamy, Petrov, Tevez, Adebayor.

Portsmouth (from): James, Mokoena, Mullins, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Ben-Haim, Brown, Wilson, Hreidarsson, Boateng, Diop, Finnan, Utaka, Webber, Nugent, Smith, Hughes, Ashdown.

League Form (Last 5):

 

City: WWWWL

Portsmouth: LWLLD

Over The Blue Moon Prediction:

 

City 3-0 Portsmouth

 

Given the gulf between the two teams, the blues should have no problems increasing the pressure on Pompey.