Looking Forward

Portsmouth  (Away)

Premier League

Saturday 13th August 2005

Both sides approach this season's opening match with injury doubts and the new players signed during the summer will be itching to get the kick off behind them.

Spurs will have the quality in depth to make the absence of King, Davis, Davids, Pamarot, Huddlestone, Brown and El Hamdaoui not too drastic, but with players who have not played together on a regular basis, it might mean the side will be a little disjointed to start off with.  The introduction of Wayne Routledge will be an exciting one, with his pace troubling many sides this season and the effectiveness of that speed in away games may be a major factor in the club's success.

Pompey have their own new signings with some more quality coming back to the Premiership in the shape of ex-Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld joining from Real Sociedad and another former Liverpool man - defender Gregory Vignal - coming in from Glasgow Rangers.  Raiding Tyneside has brought Andy O’Brien and Laurent Robert in from Newcastle United (joining Andy Griffin who was there already) and they will add something to the side, although I am not sure what.  O'Brien is an OK defender, while Robert runs fast, but hot and cold, so might be as much an enigma on the South Coast as he was in the North East.

With last season's top scorer Yakubu Aiyegbeni off to Middlesbrough, the Pompey fans will be hoping that Norwegian loan striker Azar Karadas and Zimbabwe forward Collins Mbesuma do the business, but it is not certain as to how they will shape up in the top flight.  John Viafara has been signed from Peruvian side Once Caldas, with hopes that he will fire the goals to stoke the passions at Fratton.

Defender Arjan De Zeeuw has departed to former club Wigan, so Dejan Stefanovic will be given the skipper's armband and one of the few remaining players from Harry Redknapp's reign, Matthew Taylor will probably play at left back.

With a full strength side out I would have predicted our win being a bit easier, but with our missing players, it might be a bit tougher as the home side seek to take advantage of their familiarity with the Fratton Park stadium.  However, we still have enough creativity in the side in Carrick and Routledge, with the steel of Tainio and Stalteri to earn the right to play, so I am going for a close away win ...

PREDICTION : -   Portsmouth  1   Tottenham Hotspur  2

For more information on the opponents and their history, including full result history of matches between the two teams, click here.

Coverage

TV :
For coverage in all parts of the world, check here and here.

Radio :  
BBC London Digital Radio - live commentary
BBC Radio Solent 96.1 FM & 103.8 FM (South Coast area only)

Internet :
www.spurs.co.uk   Live webcast  - subscribers only
Planet football - http://play.www.planetfootball.servecast.net/downloads/sky/spurs_match_new.ram (free - only available when match is on)

Westerveld

Griffin
Stefanovic (c)
O'Brien
Vignal

Robert
Hughes
Mornar (Pericard 46)
Viafara (Taylor 69)

LuaLua
Karadas (Mbesuma 74)

Unused subs: 
Ashdown
Skopelitis

Robinson (c)

Stalteri
Dawson
Gardner 
Edman

Routledge (Mendes 70)
Tainio
Carrick
Reid

Defoe
Mido (Kanoute 81)

Unused subs: 
Cerny
Naybet
Kelly

None

Tottenham Hotspur

Griffin (own goal) 45
Defoe 64

   
None    

   
Tainio (foul) 38
Reid (foul) 58