Tottenham Hotspur V Portsmouth: FA Cup: Semi-Final (LIVE on ITV1)

 

Tottenham Hotspur V Portsmouth

 

Sunday, 11^th April – 16:00

Venue: Wembley (London)

TV Coverage: ITV1

 

 

Tottenham Hotspur

 

Outright Odds: 2/1 WilliamHill

  

Tottenham fans are already dreaming of the final after their team was fortunate enough to land Portsmouth in the semi-finals. Nearly two decades have passed since Tottenham were last in an FA Cup final, way back in 1991. However, despite lacking any FA Cup involvement in a dry 20 year spell, Tottenham remain as one of the FA Cup’s most successful teams with 8 wins and 1 runners-up – More than both Liverpool & Chelsea. But with Tottenham becoming more consistent in the cups in recent seasons, are Spurs about to return to the glory days of old? Well, all that stands in their way of a tenth final is that of Portsmouth, a team they’ve already beaten twice this season, so surely they’ll fancy their chances of ending their baron run of nearly two years without an FA Cup final.

  

You know your lucks in when you draw Portsmouth, the weakest team left in the hat by quite some distance, in the semi-finals instead of either Aston Villa or Chelsea. Tottenham definitely got the rub of the green in regards to the draw but simply have to make that count on Sunday by avoiding any such upset, one which would rate right up their with the biggest in the cup’s long history considering Portsmouth’s speedy plight from the stars. What they are facing, though, is a team who won the competition just two years ago, with the current Spurs boss Harry Redknapp at the helm of Portsmouth that day. Some neutrals will says this tie was handmade by the footballing Gods so that Pompey could exact some revenge on a man which left them to sink, while we prefer to look at it as Tottenham boasting a manager with top notch FA Cup credentials. He knows exactly what it takes to land the FA Cup, only this time he has a far better squad to achieve it with.

  

Semi-final’s can often turn out to be tetchy affairs between two sides who won’t want to give their final place away but at the same time won’t take many risks in a bid to get there. That shouldn’t be the case with Tottenham’s involvement though as Spurs just don’t do dull football. Redknapp, who did inherit a gifted group of players it must be said, has got Tottenham playing some stunning football this season, with some of the speed they play at nowadays breathtaking. Spurs now have everything going for them; a Chairman willing to invest, a squad brimming with genuine Premiership quality in just about every department and a manger who the fans believe will take them to bigger and better things in years to come. Tottenham are well equipped, perhaps better than ever before, to be challenging for honours on a more consistent basis, and so, now there is no excuse for failure. This is especially the case for Sunday as Tottenham should comfortably see off their Southern opponents, Portsmouth.

  

A 3-1 defeat at Sunderland has spoilt Tottenham’s preparations ahead of this semi-final showdown with Portsmouth, but before that Tottenham had won five on the bounce, while just a fortnight ago they were beating Portsmouth 2-0 in the league so Spurs recently know what it takes to beat their semi-final opponents. It’s quite obvious that Tottenham are superior in most departments, especially in terms of their squad strength, but what Portsmouth lack in genuine player quality, they make up for in spirit and it was this characteristic which seen them battle their way past Birmingham City in the last round, against the odds it has to be said. The vulnerability surrounding Tottenham is that perhaps the players will feel a final is all but theirs, that it’s owed to them, and well, if they take that approach then they could be in for a nasty surprise. It’s certainly there for them however, they only need to apply themselves in a professional manner to size it.

 

 

 

Portsmouth

 

Outright Odds: 18/1 SportingBet

  

Whereas Tottenham fans are dreaming of their first FA Cup final since 1991, Pompey fans are reliving their sensational season of 2008 when they lifted the prestigious trophy aloft in a 1-0 win against West Bromwich Albion in the 2007-2008 final. It was of course when Harry Redknapp was in charge, at a time when fans adored the dopey looking Englishman, but now Portsmouth fans join together in a cult like fashion to show their hatred towards the man they believe is a traitor, and will be hoping the players back them up on Sunday by sending his new club, Tottenham, packing. That does look an unlikely scenario, though, considering Portsmouth’s dire situation at present; severely in debt, a squad depleted through injury and a team lacking in any sort of confidence boosting form.

  

To say Portsmouth need to defy adversity to make the final would be an understatement of the highest proportion considering what the club has been through since the beginning of the season in what can only be described as a turbulent season for everyone involved with the club. Despite selling a whole host of players within the space of about a year, some of which went for huge sums, Portsmouth are a club with mounting debts and have had to sell the majority of their remaining half decent players and replace them cheaper alternatives, players which, without trying to be too disrespectful, would probably struggle to make a Championship side let alone a Premiership outfit. However, where as some teams would curl into a ball and raise the white flag for all to see, Portsmouth have come out fighting and have earned many a plaudit for their valiant actions. This perhaps hasn’t been the case in the Premier League (20^th and a game or two away from relegation) but it has been evident in this competition, the FA Cup, having to put in some gutsy displays just to get this far.

  

Portsmouth may not have beaten some of England’s finest to get here, but they have had to fight tooth and nail for each progression and have often been forced to play an extra game just to show their FA Cup worth. This fortunately wasn’t the case in the last round as they despatched of Birmingham City at Fratton Park 2-0. The fans were brilliant that day as they got right behind their team despite all their well publicised off-pitch issues. However, while their fans will try to make for an incredible atmosphere on Sunday, quite whether that support will be enough to bridge the big gulf in class between the two sides remains to be seen. Portsmouth have lost twice to Tottenham already this season, while only two weeks ago they lost 2-0 at White Hart Lane, so the task does look ominous. Perhaps even more so when you consider that Portsmouth’s only wins in 2010, outside of the FA Cup, are against two teams sharing the relegation zone with them in Hull City and Burnley.

  

There’s only two factors which make Fulham an appealing bet; the first being their underdog status, mainly because they don’t have anything considered to be ‘World-Class’ in their squad, while the second is the rousing support they’ll get from their travelling fans on Sunday at what should be a euphoric Wembley. However, if you want to be realistic, we don’t see Portsmouth bridging the gap and causing what would be one of the competitions biggest shock in it’s history, and there has been several worthy contenders for that honour already this season. They haven’t even looked like winning a game against a classy opponent in 2010 and have instead rolled over in most fixtures. Of course, the FA Cup has been their priority ever since they went into administration, but the players would need to lift their game several levels in order to even get on par with the Tottenham players. We will certainly be cheering Portsmouth on this Sunday, although we aren’t optimistic about their chances.

 

 

 

How they got here:

 

Third Round: Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Peterborough United

Fourth Round: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Leeds United

Fourth Round Replay: Leeds United 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur

Fifth Round: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Fifth Round Replay: Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Bolton Wanderers

Quarter-Final: Fulham 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Quarter-Final Replay: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Fulham

 

Third Round: Portsmouth 1-1 Coventry City

Third Round Replay: Coventry City 1-2 Portsmouth (AET)

Fourth Round: Portsmouth 2-1 Sunderland

Fifth Round: Southampton 1-4 Portsmouth

Quarter-Final: Portsmouth 2-0 Birmingham City

 

 

 

Injuries & Suspensions

 

Tottenham Hotspur: Carlo Cudicni, Johnathan Woodgate, Aaron Lennon (Tottenham have a long list of possible doubts; Vedran Corluka, Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas)

 

Portsmouth: Hermann Hreidarsson, Tel Ben-Haim, Danny Webber, Hassan Yebda (Nadir Belhadj, Papa Diop and Kevin-Prince Boateng are all doubts)

 

 

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Tottenham Hotspur to WIN – 1.33 bWin

  

We would love to see a shock, mainly because we’re a big follower of whoever is the underdog, but from a betting perspective, Tottenham look the only likely winner in this contest.

  

Lets face it, it’s a Premiership club, one vying for a top four finish, against what is in theory a Championship club in Portsmouth. In fact, Portsmouth, even with their current crop of players now, would struggle to win games in the league below whereas Tottenham have been beating Premiership opposition all season. Spurs are generally very consistent, especially this season and especially in the cups. They have tended to start sluggishly though in some of their earlier rounds, going behind against Bolton Wanderers and Fulham before eventually going through, and that will be cause for optimism around the Portsmouth as should they somehow sneak into an early lead, with a battling performance at the back, Portsmouth could land a shock semi-final victory. It’s a big ask but at least it’s something the travelling Portsmouth fans can cling onto.

  

Our prediction though is a Tottenham Hotspur win. There is just too much class within the Tottenham squad to oppose them against what is a mediocre Portsmouth team, made even more so by injuries to key players. Spurs have pace down the flanks to expose Pompey’s full-backs, the composure and creative sparks in midfield to open up the Portsmouth defence and four strikes, of which any could start on Sunday and all would scare the living daylights out of the Portsmouth defence. Whether it’s the pace of Defoe or the aerial prowess of Peter Crouch, Tottenham just seem to have far too much fire-power for a blunt Portsmouth. It should be easy peezy!

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Tottenham Hotspur – 1.33 bWin

Draw – 5.00 BetFred

Portsmouth – 11.00 Boylesports

 

 

 

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Tottenham Hotspur to Score in Both Halves – 1.91 PaddyPower