Portsmouth Football Club News

Pompey’s 3-1 win at Carlisle has given boss Paul Hart some pleasing selection posers for Everton’s visit to Fratton Park on Saturday. Hart made seven changes for the Carling Cup tie and was rewarded with an emphatic third-round win. The Blues now have extra options up front with Ivory Coast hitman Aruna Dindane making a goalscoring debut at Brunton Park. Fellow striker Danny Webber was also delighted to get on the scoresheet on his first start for Pompey. Forwards Frederic Piquionne and Tommy Smith have started Pompey’s last three Premier League games. Piquionne was on the bench at Carlisle while Smith was cup-tied. Midfielders Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jamie O’Hara were both unavailable for the Carlisle trip and will be hoping to return against Everton. Hassan Yebda got his first Blues start in Cumbria with Angelos Basinas, John Utaka, Hayden Mullins and Asmir Begovic also coming into the side after sitting out last Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa. David James and Tal Ben Haim, who both started the Villa game, did not travel to Carlisle while Michael Brown was on the bench at Brunton Park. Everton come to Fratton Park having suddenly hit form, hitting 11 unanswered goals in wins over AEK Athens, Blackburn and Hull. Yakubu made his first start in 10 months in the Carling Cup at Hull on Wednesday night and scored the first in Everton’s 4-0 win. Jo, Dan Gosling and Leon Osman were also on the scoresheet for an Everton side recording their biggest away win under David Moyes. The Toffees started the season in horrendous style with a 6-1 home defeat to Arsenal and then lost at Burnley and Fulham either side of a home win over Wigan. But they have since showed the qualities that have seen them finish fifth for the last two seasons, with a 3-0 win over Blackburn last Sunday lifting Moyes’ side to 13th. Everton have won four of their five games since Sylvain Distin signed from Pompey, with the centre-half scoring in a 4-0 win over AEK Athens. Pompey, in contrast, are looking for their first points of the season after six straight defeats. But they have a decent recent record against Everton at Fratton Park, hoovering up seven points from a possible nine in the last three encounters between the sides on the south coast. Peter Crouch got both Pompey goals in a 2-1 win over Everton in the last meeting between the sides in March after Leighton Baines had given the visitors an early lead.

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