We all know what happened the last time we reached this stage of the competition in 1992, Pompey were just minutes away from producing one of the biggest upsets in cup history. a young Darren Anderton put Pompey ahead but Ronnie Whelan equalised for Liverpool after John Barnes' free kick hit the crossbar with the full-time whistle approaching. They then cruelly knocked us out on penalties in the replay at Villa Park.
Things are much different this time around. We're not the underdogs unlike in 1992, we're the favourites for the cup after that unbelievable result at Old Trafford and having come through tough ties against Ipswich, Plymouth and Preston. Sixteen years later, the pressure is all on us.
Our opponents will fancy their chances against us, having scored more goals than any other league team in England. They had to beat Charlton in a replay via penalties and then stuffed Peterborough, Coventry and Bristol Rovers to set up this meeting at Wembley.
Hermann Hreidarsson and John Utaka are both injury doubts for the game with Lauren and Milan Baros set to take their places in the 4-5-1 system should they not make it. Though the biggest blow is that Jermain Defoe is cup-tied, I'd be far more confident about beating the Baggies if he was playing.
Tony Mowbray has near enough a full strength squad to choose from with only the injured Filipe Teixiera and the cup-tied Luke Moore unavailable for selection. It's likely that Kevin Phillips will start on the bench with Ishmael Miller and Roman Bednar starting up front.
Tactically, I think 4-5-1 would be the best way to play against Albion because we've used it to great effect when soaking up pressure and hitting the opposition with the suckerpunch. West Brom don't defend well and will probably bomb forward from the first whistle, so our defenders will have to be at their best.
Complacency at this stage of the competition shouldn't be an issue, especially after our struggles against Championship sides this season. Many of our players have experienced this sort of "big game" atmosphere and the likes of David James, Sol Campbell and Niko Kranjcar have already played at the new Wembley. I'm sure the players will give 110% to make sure we reach the final at any cost.
But what if it goes to penalties?
Both Pompey and West Brom have already won a penalty shootout this season. We won the Asia Trophy whilst they beat Charlton in Round 3 of the FA Cup. Our record of taking penalties hasn't been great, having missed three this season and no Defoe to take one either.
On the flip side, David James has saved half the penalties he has faced this season, as well as a couple last campaign too so that could be a reason to avoid nail biting.
Pretty much every player from both sides has had their say when it comes to this game and now it's time for them to do the talking on the pitch and make themselves a hero.
Will Kanu step up and score the winner against his former club? Will Dean Kiely play the game of his life and save everything we have to throw at him? Will David Nugent prove that he was worth the fee paid for him by netting the winner or will it be Kevin Phillips who returns to break the hearts of every Pompey fan once again?
I'm still young, but even now I don't believe that we will ever, ever have as good a chance as this to lift some silverware during my lifetime. There have been defining moments in our cup run this year that makes me believe that this is our year. Jamo's penalty save at Deepdale followed by a stoppage time own goal and then those two unbelievable goal-line clearances coupled with that penalty at Old Trafford.
West Brom fans believe that the omens are on their side as they're the only team to have won the FA Cup and win promotion in the same season, a feat which they hope to repeat. They also knocked us out when they last won this competition in 1968.
It should be a hell of an occasion for both sets of supporters but the bottom line is that one set will be leaving Wembley elated whilst the other group will suffer unthinkable disappointment after blowing such a massive opportunity.
Let's hope all this fiasco over the tickets will be worth it. I hope all Portsmouth fans enjoy the day and make the biggest noise to ever be heard at Wembley.
Play Up Pompey!
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Glen JOHNSON
CB: Sol CAMPBELL
CB: Sylvain DISTIN
LB: LAUREN
CM: Lassana DIARRA
CM: Sulley MUNTARI
CM: Papa BOUBA DIOP
RWF: John UTAKA
LWF: Niko KRANJCAR
CF: KANU
Bench: Jamie ASHDOWN, Lucien AUBEY, Pedro MENDES, David NUGENT, Milan BAROS
West Brom
GK: Dean KIELY
RB: Carl HOEFKENS
CB: Martin ALBRECHTSEN
CB: Neil CLEMENT
LB: Paul ROBINSON
RM: Zoltan GERA
CM: Jonathan GREENING
CM: Robert KOREN
LM: Chris BRUNT
CF: Ishmael MILLER
CF: Roman BEDNAR
Bench: Michal DANEK, Leon BARNETT, PELE, James MORRISON, Kevin PHILLIPS
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Pompey Win (2-1)
Sky Sports: Pompey Win (2-1)
Soccernet: Pompey Win
My Prediction: Pompey Win (2-1 After Extra Time)