PREMIER LEAGUE: FRATTON PARK, TUESDAY MARCH 9, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 GMT
PORTSMOUTH:
Of all the charges levelled at Portsmouth this season, nobody could accuse the south coast club of being dull.
On the brink of financial collapse and with relegation apparently all but assured, Avram Grant's side could yet conjure a thrilling end to the campaign following last weekend's FA Cup quarter-final win.
With a semi-final at Wembley now guaranteed, and only the winners of the Tottenham versus Fulham replay standing between Pompey and a second final appearance in three years, the mood at Fratton Park has lifted considerably.
Rather than slinking away into the Championship with barely a murmur, the current signs are that Grant's team will go down kicking and screaming.
Portsmouth's players responded to the announcement that the club had been placed into administration by promptly winning at Burnley and should they overcome Birmingham, they will have won three games in succession. Too little, too late, admittedly, but after the pain of recent weeks, the club's supporters have every right to enjoy whatever success comes their way.
The nine-point deduction due to be imposed by the Premier League when the club's administration is confirmed by the High Court means it is unthinkable they could make up the 14-point deficit that separates them from safety. Within other dressing rooms, that might trigger a fatalistic response, but among Grant and his squad, the situation has been met with a defiant response.
"I've been at clubs with financial problems before, but nothing like this, and of course I'm angry about what has happened here," said defender Hermann Hreidarsson. "It's so sad that people will be losing their jobs and we can only hope the administrator will be nice and not start sacking them left right and centre.
"Footballers are lucky. Even if things go wrong we get another club. But Portsmouth belongs to the fans and all the people who have been working here for years. It has been a strange couple of years and our current situation was probably inevitable when you look at the players we were signing.
"That's where it's all gone wrong, you need someone with real deep pockets to put money into the club and we haven't had that. It has been a very frustrating time and it makes you wonder who is running the club. It's been doom, gloom and negative vibes all season. Nobody has known what is going on or even who the owner is."
Strategy: The template for victory was set on Saturday and while Birmingham will inevitably be smarting at being knocked out of the cup, there was little doubt that Portsmouth possessed the greater desire. Key to Pompey's victory was Frederic Piquionne's improved second half display that brought the French striker two goals and was inspired by a half time talking to from midfielder Jamie O'Hara. Perhaps Grant should give the floor to O'Hara before kick-off and cut out the middleman.
Injury Update: Hassan Yebda is still struggling with a hamstring problem and centre back Ricardo Rocha will serve the second game of a two match ban. Kevin-Prince Boateng remains a long term absentee with an ankle problem.
BIRMINGHAM CITY:
Joe Hart has more reasons than the vast majority of his Birmingham City team mates to ensure that Saturday's FA Cup defeat does not generate a drop in standards from the excellent levels attained so far by Alex McLeish's side.
The young goalkeeper has 11 games left this season to convince Fabio Capello, the England manager, that he is worthy of a place in his final 23-man squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa. With Birmingham already having pocketed the 40 points that should assure them of Premier League status for another season, the last thing he wants to see is a drop in performance levels across the board and the campaign to splutter to the finish line in May.
Returning to Fratton Park and the scene of their controversial FA Cup exit is not the ideal venue for Hart and his colleagues to set about tackling the 50-point target McLeish has set them between now and the end of the season. That would eclipse any total Birmingham have achieved at the highest level and, if the goalkeeper on loan from Manchester City still has personal goals to achieve, he would like some assistance from his team mates to help him board the plane for South Africa in the summer.
Losing out to Robert Green in the contest for a starting role against Egypt at Wembley last week has only increased Hart's determination to push his competitors to the limit over the remainder of the season and he wants the rest of the Birmingham squad not to let the disappointment of Saturday's 2-0 defeat ruin all the good work done so far this season.
"We would have loved to give our fans a day out at Wembley, but it was not to be. We have a responsibility in the league now and we have really got to focus and move on," said Hart. "It's certainly not about falling away because we're out of the Cup. It would completely ruin the season if we allowed that to happen.
"We are proud people. Personally, I am proud of what we have achieved as a team and I don't want to ruin it by slumping off. I am pretty sure everyone else feels the same. The manager has set a target for us. He is a good manager and a good driving force.
"But as players we have a lot of pride anyway, I have a lot of pride and want to achieve things. We've got a good opportunity to kick on and get Birmingham into a great position."
Strategy: Within the visitors dressing room at Fratton Park on Saturday there was a collective sense of lacking that requisite ruthless edge in the quarter-final defeat and motivation to at least gain some kind of revenge, even if it will not make up for missing a date at Wembley, will be intense for McLeish and his players.
The conundrum the Scot will have been wrestling with for the last three days is whether to move away from his steadfast loyalty to the same 11 players that helped the club reach the last eight of the FA Cup. He has been monitoring the effects of the defeat closely.
With safety assured in the league and no Wembley places up for grabs any longer, this could be the time for him to experiment a little and try to give Spanish midfielder Michel an extended look at the Premier League, following his arrival from Sporting Gijon in the January transfer window. The same could be said of Craig Gardner, another January signing who has been forced to be patient for opportunities at St Andrew's.
Injury Update: Birmingham have been assessing the groin injury affecting Scotland international James McFadden. The midfielder played at the weekend, just days after pulling out of Craig Levein's first international fixture as Scotland manager. David Murphy (knee) and Teemu Tainio (knee) are both recovering well from their injury problems, but Garry O'Connor (hip) is still unavailable.
