Portsmouth vs. Aston Villa
Carling Cup Quarter Final
Fratton Park
Kick Off 8pm

Ex Chelsea boss Avram Grant was handed the reigns at Portsmouth before the weekend’s Premier League fixtures, only to have the thankless task of taking the bottom of the table side to Old Trafford of all places. That didn’t go well, with the Red Devils running out 4-1 winners courtesy of a Wayne Rooney hattrick, leaving poor old Pompey rock bottom still with a measly 7 points. Grant has an uphill struggle on his hands, make no mistake, but the Carling Cup has seen them play with a bit of pressure off. They rounded off comfortable wins against Carlisle and Stoke in previous rounds and now they have to roll back into action against high flying Aston Villa.

The main problem which Portsmouth face, is that they will be missing four players who have fallen foul of the cup-tie rule. Tommy Smith, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jamie O’Hara and Mike Williamson all take their place in the stands, along with keeper David James, Papa Diop and Steve Finnan who are all injured. That certainly is not going to help cheer up the home fans, knowing that an inexperienced side is going to be taking to the pitch. If they can achieve a semi final berth, the struggling southerners will make a little bit of club history, as that will be the furthest they have ever gotten in the league cup.

Aston Villa meanwhile, are in a scrap with Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal for that much coveted fourth spot in the Premier League. Villain’s boss Martin O’Neill does not have the selection problems that Avram Grant has, and even with first eleven against first eleven, the midlanders would still be favourites given current form. Villa drew 1-1 at home against Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday, and they are looking a sturdy team which should stay the distance in the top six at the very least. Only Liverpool have a better record than Aston Villa in the competition, but O’Neill believes that the club should be challenging for trophies on a more regular basis. They have not had any success since the mid nineties.

The Carling Cup doesn’t have the glitz and glamour of the FA Cup, highlighted by Alex Ferguson’s choice of fielding a team of youngsters for their semi final match, and the last time Villa was in a cup final, it was the 2000 FA Cup appearance against Chelsea. Which they lost. They won’t have much of a better chance of progressing to the semi finals this season, and then who knows what lies beyond for the claret and blue. Villa do not have a goalscorer with more than one goal in the competition so far this year, while Pompey have Frederic Piquionne who is on three.

Portsmouth to win: 13/5 at Coral
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Aston Villa to win: 6/5 at Totesport

Betting Advice: With Gabby Agbonlahor up front, Villa do have a future England star in the making. He scored Villa’s goal in the draw on Saturday, his sixth of the campaign. He could be a real threat on Tuesday night, and Pompey’s only consolation is the fact that this is a home game. Can they breathe a little more life into their season with a surprise win over Villa? Villa beat them easily at home in the Premier League, with two unanswered goals from James Milner and Gabby Agbonlahor. Could be much of the same at Fratton Park.