voldemort

Treble Chasers

For Manchester United, this quarter-final tie represents another step in their quest to repeat the club’s treble winning heroics of the 1998/99 season.

After passing the test presented to them by Olympique Lyonnais during their 1-0 mid week victory in the Champions League, the focus now passes to beating Harry Redknapp’s impressive Portsmouth team.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men will be hoping that the elementary nature of their 2-0 victory against Portsmouth in their last visit to Old Trafford will be repeated, and not the solid Pompey resistance that his team could not overcome in their 1-1 draw at Fratton Park in the early weeks of the season.

Central to this will be the role that Cristiano Ronaldo is able to play, as he proved to be the catalyst behind United’s easy Premiership victory in February. Portsmouth simply could not contain the Manchester United winger on that night, and the game saw him bag yet another two goal haul in his extraordinary season - including that memorable free-kick for the second goal.

Added inspiration for the Red Devils will also be found due to their reluctance to have to face a replay. Not only would this add another game to an already congested fixture list, but United’s record at Fratton Park is, by their own high standards, quite simply terrible.

Undoubtedly Sir Alex Ferguson will take an opportunity to rotate his squad for this game due to the energy sapping nature of their mid week game against Lyon. However, Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp will be all too aware that the fearsome strength of the Manchester United squad should prove to be enough for the Red Devils to continue their ominous march to yet another Wembley final.

Wembley Dreams

Without a shadow of a doubt, Harry Redknapp will have to have his team fired up for this clash against Manchester United if they are to banish the memories of their disappointing performance against the Red Devils during the Premiership meeting at Old Trafford.

The lack of fight on this night was a stark contrast to Pompey’s impressive season so far, with the team also managing to claim eleven victories on the road throughout the campaign.

That three of these have come in Pompey’s run to the quarters will further boost the hopes of the Portsmouth fans that would so dearly love to see their team book themselves a trip to the new Wembley for the Semi Finals of this illustrious competition.

Redknapp will also be able to select the likes of Papa Boupa Diop, John Utaka, Kanu, and Sulley Muntari for this game, with this contingent of players being missed badly in the February meeting of the sides due to their African Cup of Nations commitments.

However, when one analyses Pompey’s run to this Old Trafford F.A. Cup tie, it is clear to see that the challenge presented by Championship sides Ipswich Town, Plymouth Argyle, and Preston North End pales in to insignificance when this is compared to the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney et al. on Saturday.

The hopes of all Pompey fans for a famous victory will be further deflated by the fact that they have not managed a victory at Old Trafford for over half a century.

However, this may not be the only way that Portsmouth will be able to book themselves a place in the draw for the F.A. Cup semi finals. If Redknapp’s team can simply avoid defeat against United, then they will be more than confident of derailing Sir Alex Ferguson’s attempts to claim another treble due to their impressive record against United at their Fratton Park home.

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United:

Manchester United have no new injury worries to report after the midweek game against Lyon. Long term absentees Gary Neville (knee), Mikael Silvestre (knee) and Ben Foster (knee) are still out, whilst the muscle injury that Ryan Giggs picked up in the 1st leg of their Champions League second round match against the French side still makes him a doubt for this fixture.

Last starting XI (vs. Olympique Lyonnais): Van Der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Tevez 70), Ronaldo (Hargreaves 90), Rooney, Nani.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Saha, Park, Scholes, O'Shea.

Squad: Van Der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Ronaldo, Rooney, Nani, Tevez, Hargreaves, Kuszczak, Saha, Park, Scholes, O'Shea, Pique, Giggs

Portsmouth:

Harry Redknapp has almost his full roster of players to select from for this exciting F.A. Cup quarter final tie, with only Linvoy Primus (knee injury) and Jermain Defoe (cup tied) definitely out of the match. Noe Pamarot does though remain a severe doubt for this fixture, with David Nugent and Pedro Mendes standing a good chance of being available again for selection.

Last starting XI (vs. Everton): James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Muntari, Diop (Utaka 78), Diarra, Kranjcar, Defoe, Kanu.
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Lauren, Baros, Davis.

Squad: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Muntari, Diop, Utaka, Diarra, Kranjcar, Kanu, Ashdown, Lauren, Baros, Davis, Pamarot, Nugent, Mendes

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United: Although he managed to score the winner against Olympique Lyonnais in mid-week, Cristiano Ronaldo’s all round performance left a lot to be desired. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will surely be looking for his Portuguese winger to get back on track by repeating the match winning antics he displayed against Portsmouth in February. If this is to occur, then Manchester United stand every chance of booking their place at Wembley for the F.A. Cup semi finals. Furthermore, if Ronaldo is able to match his two goal haul from this game, then he will equal George Best’s 32 goal haul from the 1967/68 season.

Portsmouth: If Portsmouth are to stand any chance of winning this Quarter Final tie then they must seek to control central midfield. For this to happen, Redknapp will be looking for Lassana Diarra to continue his excellent form since arriving at the club in the January transfer window. The French international midfielder must close down every United player in possession of the ball, and attempt to frustrate the Red Devils' attempts to play their trademark flowing football. A repeat of his goal scoring performance against Bolton Wanderers would also be an added bonus for the Pompey boss.

PREDICTION

Harry Redknapp will almost certainly be looking for a dramatically different performance from that which his team put in against Manchester United in their last visit to Old Trafford. However, the Pompey manager will be buoyed by the fact this game coincided with the African Cup of Nations, which left him unavailable to select several of his key players. That's all changed.

Manchester United, on the other hand, will be keenly aware of the need to win this game, and continue their dreams of winning another treble. Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to once again change his team selection due to the tiring demands inflicted upon his team during their nervy mid week Champions League tie against Lyon. This should not however weaken his team selection, and should instead be another chance for the Red Devils to display the fearsome strength of their squad.

As such, I can see Manchester United having too much for an accomplished Pompey side, and can see a repeat of the score line recorded during the Premiership meeting of the pair at Old Trafford.

Manchester United 2-0 Portsmouth