Newcastle vs Portsmouth Preview

Really and truly, the current Premiership positions of Portsmouth and Newcastle, currently third and sixteenth respectively, should be reversed. A club of Portsmouth's stature shouldn't be flying so high, while a side of Newcastle's tradition shouldn't be flirting with the relegation zone. However, this is indeed the case and, as such, I'm surprised to see that the Magpies are priced up as clear favourites at a top-priced 13/10 for their encounter at St James' Park on Sunday. Meanwhile, Portsmouth can be backed at 9/4 with Stan James in the match result market, and that'll do for me. Naturally, home advantage counts for plenty; plus the Toon Army come into this match on the back of a midweek Uefa Cup victory over Celta Vigo; and they did beat Pompey 3-0 in Tyneside in a Coca-Cola Cup tie last month. However, Glen Roeder's men have been failing to fire on home soil in the Premiership this season. Newcastle haven't managed to secure a solitary victory in their last five league matches at St James'. They've been beaten in three of those fixtures - including when outpointed by Sheff Utd most recently - and drew the other two, against Everton and Charlton. Furthermore, they have conceded more goals than they have scored in their own backyard. All in all, the stats don't augur well. There will be those that expect the boys in black and white to draw sufficient confidence from their midweek victory in Europe to make a good fist of their next Premiership fixture. However, those punters should think again. Indeed, Newcastle's last three Uefa Cup tie victories have been immediately followed by a poor league performance, resulting in a defeat, just two or three days later. Perhaps this is because Roeder's charges suffer a 'bounce' factor, or the exertions take their toll and they aren't able to recover in time to put their best foot forward when playing two games in such a short space of time. Or perhaps it's because they simply lack the consistency. Whatever the case may be, it's a worrying trend, and certainly not something which is conducive to a confident betting proposition. Portsmouth epitomise their manager, Harry Redknapp, in that they are real battlers, and are adept at cutting their coat according to their cloth. Admittedly, the south coat side's lofty Premiership position is attributable to their form at Fratton Park, rather than on their travels. But their three away defeats have come at the hands of Chelsea, Man Utd and Spurs, so no disgrace there. In six of their 13 league matches, Pompey have kept a clean sheet, whereas Newcastle have scored a paltry eight goal in their 13 fixtures. Obafemi Martins will be fit for selection along with skipper Scott Parker, while Kieron Dyer will return to the fray after being rested against Celta Vigo. However, leading scorer Shola Ameobi is out due to a hip injury and winger Damien Duff underwent surgery to resolve his knee injury on Thursday so is very much on the easy list. Matt Taylor is absent for Portsmouth and the defection of Andy Cole owing to an Achilles injury is a blow, as the 35-year-old would have been up for this game in a major way, having enjoyed some of his best years at St James' Park. But in the shape of Kanu, LuaLua, also a former Newcastle man, Mwaruwari and Todorov, Redknapp has plenty of attacking options up front. Ex-Arsenal and West Brom hitman Kanu has been Portsmouth's most productive striker this season, netting eight goals, and I'm at a loss to explain why he can be backed at a tempting 5/2 with Ladbrokes in the anytime goalscorer market, while Martins, scorer of just one goal in nine Premiership appearances, is as short as 15/8! Snap up the 5/2 about the Nigerian hitting the target is my advice. Verdict - 2pts Portsmouth in the match result market @ 9/4 (Stan James)2pts Kanu in the anytime goalscorer market @ 5/2 (Ladbrokes) #1 Betfair Bonus £25 Free Bet.#2 Ladbrokes £25 Free Bet.#3 Paddypower Bonus £20 Free Bet.