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Pompey cling to FA Cup hope

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 12/01/2010
Football betting

Portsmouth's troubled season could take a turn for the worse if they lose their FA Cup third round replay at Championship side Coventry City.

The Premier League's bottom club have been threatened with a winding up order and have failed to pay their players on time on three occasions already this season.

Pompey's financial problems have not been alleviated by Ali Al Faraj's takeover of the club while Avram Grant has been told he may have to sell some of his players in order to stop the club sliding into administration.

It is all a far cry from the position at the club just over 18 months ago when a team that included the likes of David James, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Lassana Diarra and Niko Kranjcar beat Cardiff City 1-0 in the FA Cup Final.

Can Portsmouth rescue their season by embarking on a successful FA Cup run? - Latest Football Betting

Since then it has been unmitigated doom and gloom at Fratton Park with the club lurching from one crisis to another and there are real fears that, if they are relegated from the Premier League this term, it could spell a sharp drop through the divisions.

Pompey needed a Kevin-Prince Boateng equaliser to salvage a draw against Coventry City at Fratton Park earlier this month and the Sky Blues followed up that result with an impressive display at the weekend when they beat Barnsley 3-1.

That was the Sky Blues' fourth win in their last five Championship games and lifted Chris Coleman's side into mid-table.

Elsewhere, two of the country's in-form teams meet at St Andrew's in what is sure to be a tight replay between Birmingham City and Nottingham Forest.

Alex McLeish's side are unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions and followed up their goalless draw at The City Ground with an impressive display in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw against Manchester United.

Forest are this season's surprise package in the Championship, with Friday's victory at West Brom lifting Billy Davies' side above the Baggies into second place in the table.

It also extended their own unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions, a sequence of results stretching back to mid-September and they have not lost an away game in the league this season.

Elsewhere, the only non-league team left in the competition, Forest Green Rovers, travel to one of the online betting favourites to win promotion from League Two this season, Notts County, while Bristol City entertain Cardiff City in an all-Championship clash.

Derby County, on the back of a disastrous 4-1 home defeat to Scunthorpe United on Saturday, face League One side Millwall while QPR host Sheffield United.

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