Portsmouth v West Brom preview

10 April 2009 12:38
Portsmouth welcome West Brom to Fratton Park in one of three relegation six-pointers this Easter weekend.[LNB] One of the most tightly fought relegation battles has taken course this season, now Easter arrives and with just seven fixtures remaining, eight teams are slugging it out for Premier League survival.[LNB]Bottom of the pile is Tony Mowbray's Albion, whose footballing side have been the basement boys for the last two months and are currently eight points adrift of safety following last weekend's crunch defeat to relegation rivals Stoke.[LNB]Pompey slid towards the top-flight trap-door earlier this campaign under former boss Tony Adams, but current manager Paul Hart has guided the South Coast outfit four points ahead of the drop-zone including a point secured away to fellow strugglers Hull City last Saturday.[LNB]Now the two teams, who met in last year's FA Cup semi-final, lock horns, with West Brom almost certainly needing victory to keep any hopes of maintaining their top division status alive.[LNB]But the omens do not bode well for the Baggies, who have not tasted a win in Pompey's back-yard since 1958, when they hammered Saturday's opponents 6-2.[LNB]Johnson suspendedPortsmouth, who have never conceded as many goals since that home defeat 61 years ago, have players missing for this weekend's clash with defender Glen Johnson suspended and midfielder Sean Davis out with a knee injury.[LNB]Winger Jermaine Pennant is fit enough to start after a calf problem and Younes Kaboul should remain at right-back.[LNB]Papa Bouba Diop is on the mend from a knee ligament injury which has kept him out since January, while Richard Hughes proved his fitness at Hull last week following a two-month-long hamstring injury and is expected to continue in midfield.[LNB]On-loan left-back Armand Traore has recovered from a sprained ankle but is unlikely to feature while Greek duo Angelos Basinas and Theo Gekas, signed in the winter window, may have to settle with substitute roles at best.[LNB]Meite recall[LNB]Meanwhile, West Brom defender Abdoulaye Meite could be handed a recall to the starting XI after the Baggies again showed their defensive frailties against Stoke last week.[LNB]Meite has not featured for Albion since being part of the Ivory Coast team that took on Malawi in a World Cup qualifier in Abidjan when 19 spectators died after a wall collapsed nearly a fortnight ago.[LNB]But the ex-Bolton player may replace Shelton Martis, who failed to stamp his place in the heart of Albion's defence and was partly at fault for the first goal in West Brom's 2-0 home reversal to the Potters.[LNB]Possible starting XIsPortsmouth: James, Kaboul, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Pennant, Hughes, Mullins, Nugent, Kranjcar, Crouch.[LNB]West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite, Olsson, Robinson, Morrison, Greening, Valero, Brunt, Simpson, Fortune.[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports