English FA CUP:Portsmouth vs Birmingham City

 English FA CUP
            2010-03-06 – Portsmouth v Birmingham City
            Sports Betting Preview by Addicted
            Portsmouth V Birmingham City
            Football : England : FA Cup Quarter Finals
            Saturday 6th March 2010 – Kickoff 12:30pm

            It’s been a year to forget for the south coast side, with ownership
            of the club changing hands 4 times, before becoming the first
            Premier League club to go into administration before their now
            almost guaranteed relegation.

            The FA Cup remains though, and Portsmouth will no doubt play their
            hearts out in front of a capacity crowd at Fratton Park, to give
            something back to their heartbroken fans.
            Portsmouth

            The misery continued for Portsmouth as it became the first club to
            enter into administration. Last Friday’s decision means the club
            will now be docked 9 points.

            Portsmouth are currently sitting rock bottom of the league on 19
            points, 5 points from safety, and I think the deduction puts the
            final nail into that coffin. It’s a really sad state of affairs for
            an old club with a great history and excellent fans and they
            deserved more than to have their club destroyed by the way it has
            been run recently.

            The one very bleak flicker of hope here is that they are still
            surprisingly in the FA Cup, and Avram Grant will hope his team can
            beat Birmingham on Saturday and give the fans a possible trip to
            Wembley to look forward to.

            Pompey got to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 thumping of rivals
            Southampton. With the nightmare that is this season, it gave the
            fans something to cheer about, although the next match, a league
            encounter at Stoke saw Pompey lose to a last gasp goal after having
            led for most of the game.

            One could be excused for thinking that all the off-pitch misery
            could have led to the players heads dropping, but the opposite seems
            to have happened. The players went out at Burnley and put on a
            heroic display in beating Burnley 2-1. With everything now lost,
            they seem to be going out and giving it their all week after week,
            and it’s all for their fans. That is the kind of attitude I like to
            see in a team if I am to stake money on them.

            The home form has been better for Portsmouth, with 3 of their 5
            league wins coming at Fratton Park. The team looks like it is now
            going to come forward and attack in every game, what with nothing to
            lose, and in a cup game at home, I see them charging forward and
            giving Birmingham all they can handle.

            Portsmouth, despite it’s sorry league position, have managed to
            score in each of their last 9 home games, and I think the attitude,
            coupled by their determination and the strength of the opponents
            will lead to at least one Portsmouth goal, perhaps more of they are
            to continue this little fairytale in the FA Cup.
            Birmingham City

            Alex McLeish must surely fancy his chances here. His Birmingham side
            have been quite the surprise package this season, currently sitting
            in 8th position in the Premier League. For a side that were expected
            to be fighting a relegation battle, they’ve surprised everyone by
            now being ever so close to a place in Europe next season.

            City will be up against it here though. Against a team that has
            nothing else to play for, and a raucous gathering of home fans
            cheering their team on. The cause for concern here is Birmingham’s
            away form. While they have racked up 26 points at home, their
            travels have netted them only 14. They have also lost all of their
            last 3 away fixtures in the league.

            Funnily enough though, all Birmingham City’s wins in previous rounds
            of the FA Cup have come away from St. Andrews, albeit in close games
            won by a 1 goal margin. Easier ties include Nottingham forest and
            Derby, whom they needed a last gasp winner to come from behind
            against. In between that was the more impressive win, at Everton.

            Birmingham have none of the off-pitch worries of their opponents,
            and McLeish will have his boys completely focused to come and try
            and capitalise on Portsmouth’s worries. Surely they manage to score
            here, but will it be enough to beat a team that is going to war for
            its fans every time it steps on the pitch.
            THe Betting Verdict

            This is quite possibly the last big memorable game to be played down
            at Fratton Park this season (or ever?), and I reckon Portsmouth will
            give it everything to repay the fans support with a trip to Wembley.
            Both teams are messy at the back and can be scored against and will
            be hungry to attack and book themselves a semi-final spot, so I
            expect a few goals to be scored.

            I know every neutral will be cheering on Portsmouth, who are on the
            market now with a price tag of around £30m, so if you absolutely
            must have a bet on a side to win, stick your money on Portsmouth and
            hop on their emotional roller coaster.
            FIXED ODDS BETTING :
            Both teams to score @ 2.00 (Bet365)
            Over 2.5 goals @ 2.40 (Bet365)

            Portsmouth to win @ 2.62 (Bet365)