Portsmouth May Suffer Without African Stars
Harry Redknapp takes his Portsmouth side to Old Trafford on Wednesday night without some of his biggest starts who are in action at the African Nations Cup. Sulley Muntari scored a stunning goal for Ghana in the opening game, where Kanu, John Utaka and Papa Bouba Diop are also in action, seriously weakening Pompey. Things seem to have settled down since Redknapp turned down a lucrative deal from Newcastle, and ‘Arry will certainly have to focus on the job, visiting the Theatre of Dreams. He may however, have Milan Baros available to help with a lack of strike-power, having secured a loan deal from Lyon.
Portsmouth have an enviable away record, with only Chelsea winning more games on the road this season, but United have dropped just two points at home in a dozen games, and have conceded just three times. A full strength Portsmouth side would have stood more of a chance, but there must be doubts in the circumstances. The Red Devils have no exposure to the tournament in Ghana, and should be at almost full strength, with Paul Scholes making a welcome return to action in Sunday’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Spurs. PinnacleSports.com price Man Utd 2.070 (-1.5 & -2)* with Portsmouth 1.862 (+1.5 & 2)*.
*All odds subject to change – check out the latest live odds comparison at the top rated sports bookmakers.
Add comment January 29th, 2008