Manchester United FC

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• Founded:1878
• Manager:Sir Alex Ferguson

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Preview: Man Utd v Portsmouth

04 Feb 2010 - 12:13:49

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Manchester United's Wayne Rooney will be licking his lips ahead of Portsmouth's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

England's number one striker is in sparkling form and the Pompey back-line must be dreading coming up against the in-form star.

He has notched six goals in his last three Premier League fixtures and was at his majestic best during the fantastic 3-1 victory at Arsenal on Sunday.

Rooney has now scored 20 goals in the league and is five ahead of nearest rivals Jermain Defoe and Didier Drogba.

Portsmouth remain rooted to the foot of the table after yet another defeat at the hands of Fulham in midweek.

It has proved to be a long, cold and desperate winter for Avram Grant's men with their financial constraints continuing to embattle them.

They have picked up just one point from their previous five Premier League outings and are six points adrift of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who sit just outside the relegation places.

Grant lost Asmir Begovic on transfer deadline day with only Quincy Owusu-Abeyie coming through Pompey's revolving door in a deal that has done little to appease their disgruntled fans.

To make matters worse, they have collected just five points out of a possible 33 on their travels, scoring just five goals.

In comparison, United have smashed home 31 times in their 12 home games to date.

United certainly have the ability to cash in on Pompey's misfortune and, with Chelsea only picking up a point in midweek, they will be all out for another big win to heap the pressure on Carlo Ancelotti's table-toppers.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted that Owen Hargreaves has returned to full training following a long-term knee injury but he will not be considered with the Champions League second round clash against AC Milan earmarked for his return.

Defensive pair Nemanja Vidic (calf) and John O'Shea (thigh) are both expected to be ruled out.

Rio Ferdinand is out through suspension after being found guilty of striking Hull City's Craig Fagan on January 23.

Portsmouth will be without midfield pair Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and Michael Brown (back).