Team News
Having made plenty of changes to his team on Wednesday, it is hard to second guess Avram Grant's team selection but Younes Kaboul is sure to return to the side and it could be Marc Wilson who is dropped after his mistake at Chelsea.
There are doubts over the availability of David James and Michael Brown so Asmir Begovic and Aaron Mokoena may retain their places in the side whilst Frederic Piquionne should also keep his place in the side after scoring at Stamford Bridge.
Rafael Benitez is set to play Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres together as he bids to build on Liverpool's midweek win against Wigan. Two right backs are also set for reunions as Glen Johnson and Steve Finnan face their former clubs and both should receive a good reception from those in red and blue.
The Match
One journalist recently described Liverpool as "worse than Portsmouth" and whilst they may have been exaggerating, there is a feeling amongst Pompey fans that Liverpool are there for the taking tomorrow.
The Reds may not draw many comparisons with Pompey but they find themselves in similar situations. The fans of both clubs don't like, or trust, their owners, both clubs are having problems building a new stadium, both clubs have very questionable financial situations and most of all, both teams are having woeful seasons when put in context.
Therefore a win for either side could really turn that team's fortunes around. If Pompey claim victory then they could jump West Ham, their Boxing Day opponents, should the Hammers lose to Chelsea by a couple of goals later in the day.
A win for Liverpool will see their challenge for fourth place reignited but would mean that Pompey would be on the brink and would have to win at Upton Park next Saturday to keep any hopes of survival alive.
So it's a massive game and a really tough one to call. We've not been playing too well under Grant but he seems tactically astute and more importantly, lucky. Our defence are going to have to play out of their skins to stop Gerrard and Torres whilst every Pompey fan knows first-hand what threat Glen Johnson possesses down the right.
But the most intriguing battle will be our forward(s) against a Liverpool defence that have really struggled with set-pieces so far this campaign. Given that our last few goals have come from free kicks and corners, I'm sure Avram Grant has been hammering home the importance of taking advantage of their biggest weakness.
I can't call this one, but I feel that a draw would represent a good point for us despite the Scousers' problems.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: David JAMES
RB: Steve FINNAN
CB: Tal BEN-HAIM
CB: Younes KABOUL
LB: Hermann HREIDARSSON
RM: Aruna DINDANE
CM: Jamie O'HARA
CM: Kevin-Prince BOATENG
CM: Aaron MOKOENA
LM: Hassan YEBDA
CF: Frederic PIQUIONNE
Liverpool
GK: Pepe REINA
RB: Glen JOHNSON
CB: Jamie CARRAGHER
CB: Daniel AGGER
LB: Emiliano INSUA
DM: LUCAS Leiva
DM: Javier MASCHERANO
RM: Yossi BENAYOUN
LM: Dirk KUYT
AM: Steven GERRARD
CF: Fernando TORRES
Last Time: Portsmouth 2 Liverpool 3
After a dour first half, David Nugent slotted past Reina to give Tony Adams' Pompey the lead against a weakened Liverpool team. The Reds equalised when James was forced to handle Crouch's terrible backpass in the box, allowing Aurelio to hammer home Alonso's lay off from the free kick.
Pompey took the lead again when Hreidarsson headed in Belhadj's cross and it looked like the points were ours until two horrible mistakes in the last five minutes.
First, Distin failed to cut out a through ball which led to Kuyt equalising and then Torres headed in a stoppage time winner that went through the palms of David James. That result was the final straw for Adams who was sacked the following day along with assistant Johnny Metgod.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Away Win (0-2)
Sky Sports: Away Win (1-2)
Paul Merson: Away Win (1-2)
Soccernet: Away Win
My Prediction: Much will hinge on if Pompey can keep Gerrard and Torres quiet. If we can, and also take advantage of Liverpool's leaky defence then we could get something here. I'm strangely optimistic....
Portsmouth 1 Liverpool 1