Portsmouth v Palace

Fratton Park, Tuesday 7.45pm

Claude Davis

Team news

Crystal Palace defender Claude Davis will sit the tie out through suspension after his red card against Ipswich on Saturday.

Forward Pablo Counago could make his Eagles debut after signing on loan from Ipswich, but fellow new signing Edgar Davids is not yet match fit.

Portsmouth striker John Utaka is doubtful due to a hamstring injury. Former Palace star HAYDEN MULLINS will play with a knee injury in the right-back role.

Quotes

Steve Cotterill

"It's a good job we have great fans. At the moment we are going to need them more than ever. Sometimes it's difficult when your team is not good enough for all of your experienced boys to turn up.

"You want them to turn up but we were limp at Preston. It was a poor performance. Effort-wise was the thing. Then you think about it and think 'Is it really effort?'.

"That's the first thing you can attack, but then you have to look a little deeper. I don't think any of them really want to do poorly because they are not bad lads.

"There is a new centre-back partnership there and Carl Dickinson has played no more than two average games at best.

"He knows that. Let's give him a bit more time to try to settle. Then there is a new keeper settling, too. They have to get into their groove, though, because that is what we've got."

Portsmouth - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
21st	3	0	1	2	1

Full league table

Portsmouth - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
3	0	1	2	1	4

Full form table

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
26/12/2004	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 1	Portsmouth
11/09/2004	League	Portsmouth	3 - 1	Crystal Palace
26/12/2002	League	Portsmouth	1 - 1	Crystal Palace
17/08/2002	League	Crystal Palace	2 - 3	Portsmouth
05/03/2002	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 0	Portsmouth

All time results

Last meeting

Palace 0-1 Portsmouth

Sunday December 26 2004

Palace: Kiraly, Butterfield, Sorondo, Hall, Granville, Routledge (Freedman, 70), Riihilahti (Andrews, 84), Watson (Soares, 63), Hughes, Kolkka, Johnson

Subs not used: Speroni, Popovic

Portsmouth: Hislop, Griffin, De Zeeuw, Primus, Taylor, Mezague (Kamara, 56), Stone, Faye, Quashie, Berger, Yakubu (Fuller, 56)

Subs not used: Berkovic, Cisse, Ashdown

Bookings: Fuller, Griffin

Goals: Primus 69