Everything is going extremely well for Harry Redknapp as he prepares to face his old club once again. Victory at home to the Hammers will take us into the top four for at least a day and nearly every Pompey fans are expecting us to take the spoils.
West Ham halted a run of three straight league defeats with an unconvincing 3-1 win at home to Sunderland last week. Despite this, they do possess some dangerous players such as Craig Bellamy but are also hindered by a long list of injuries that consists of Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg, Dean Ashton, Kieron Dyer and Bobby Zamora.
Speaking of injuries, David Nugent has picked up a groin injury leaving Benjani as our only fit out-and-out striker available although John Utaka can play up front if we need him to.
Sean Davis and Richard Hughes are suspended for this game which gives Pedro Mendes an opportunity to stake his claim for a place in the first team as he's almost certain to start in the successful 4-3-3 formation.
West Ham will no doubt be a tough game for us, but there's no reason why we shouldn't win as we have the better side, the better manager and we're at home.
But then t would be so typical of Pompey to screw up at home now, following an excellent return on the road.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Glen JOHNSON
CB: Sol CAMPBELL
CB: Sylvain DISTIN
LB: Hermann HREIDARSSON
CM: Papa BOUBA DIOP
CM: Pedro MENDES
CM: Sulley MUNTARI
RWF: John UTAKA
LWF: Niko KRANJCAR
CF: BENJANI
Bench: Jamie ASHDOWN, Noe PAMAROT, LAUREN, Matthew TAYLOR, Arnold MVUEMBA
West Ham
GK: Robert GREEN
RB: Lucas NEILL
CB: Danny GABBIDON
CB: Matthew UPSON
LB: George McCARTNEY
RM: Nolberto SOLANO
CM: Hayden MULLINS
CM: Mark NOBLE
LM: Luis BOA MORTE
CF: Craig BELLAMY
CF: Carlton COLE
Bench: Richard WRIGHT, Anton FERDINAND, Lee BOWYER, Matthew ETHERINGTON, Henri CAMARA
Last Time: Pompey 2 West Ham United 0
A fairly straightforward win for Pompey saw Kanu use his shoulder to put Pompey a goal up in the first half. Andy Cole turned the Hammers' defence and grabbed a late second to seal the win over Alan Pardew's side.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Home Win (2-1)
Sky Sports: Home Win (3-1)
Soccernet: Home Win
Footy-Mad: Home Win
My Prediction: Home Win (2-0)