Semi Final

Early news on tomorrows game . . . . . .


Tottenham have doubts over defenders Ledley King (thigh), Vedran Corluka (ankle) and Michael Dawson (Achilles) as well as Tom Huddlestone (ankle).
Aaron Lennon and Jermaine Jenas (both groin) are out and Kyle Walker and Younes Kaboul are cup-tied.
Portsmouth could welcome back Nadir Belhadj, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Papa Bouba Diop from injury.
Keeper David James, who sat out the goalless draw against Blackburn with a calf strain, has returned to training.
The sides go into the tie at opposite ends of the Premier League table, with Tottenham chasing fourth spot and Champions League qualification, while Portsmouth are at the foot of the Premier League and all-but relegated
But Spurs manager Harry Redknapp insists that league form will count for nothing as he prepares to face his former employers in Sunday's Wembley semi-final.
"We're fighting on two fronts and I would take either of them - if we do then what a fantastic season we've had," said Redknapp.
"If we achieve none we've still moved forward a million percent. If we could win them both it would be incredible.
"It's a massive week but it's better than being stuck at the bottom in a relegation battle.
"Portsmouth will be a hard game, they'll have four or five who will come back and they'll make a difference.
"We were lucky to beat them down there and I saw them beat Liverpool at home.
"They are very dangerous and they have players who can cause you problems. And I have a lot of respect for their manager."
For Pompey manager Avram Grant, the FA Cup has proved a welcome distraction from the problems the financially troubled club have had both on the pitch and off it.
"I am disappointed about many things this season which have happened off the pitch," said Grant.
"It has, though, been easy for us to concentrate in the cup because we knew nobody could take points from us.
"To be in the last four with such good clubs in this season is a big achievement, but we also want to do well.
"I agree it is a big achievement to be in last four, but it would be bigger if we can get to the final."
BIG-MATCH FACTS

The tie in context
• Cash strapped Portsmouth are aiming to win the FA Cup for the second time in three seasons.
• Pompey could become the sixth club to be relegated and reach the FA Cup final in the same season, and the first since Middlesbrough in 1997.
• Tottenham is the most successful club still alive in the FA Cup, having won the competition eight times.
• These clubs are clashing in the second semi-final at Wembley, for the right to return on Saturday, 15 May for the end-of-season showpiece.
• The winners of this semi-final will receive £900,000 and the losers £450,000, excluding broadcast fees. The winners of the FA Cup will receive another £1,800,000, and the runners-up £900,000.
Head-to-head

• This is the 47th competitive meeting of these clubs; Tottenham have the edge with 19 wins to Portsmouth's 11.
• The Londoners have done the league double over Portsmouth this season.
• Tottenham are unbeaten in three against Portsmouth (W2, D1), since Pompey's 2-0 home win in the Premier League on 28 September 2008.
• Tottenham have a 100% FA Cup record against Portsmouth, having won three of three.
• The most recent of those three victories was in the fifth round at Fratton Park 19 years ago, when Spurs last went on to win the competition.
The clubs

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Current form
• Sunderland ended Tottenham's nine-match undefeated run in league and cup with a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light last Saturday.
FA Cup form
• This is Tottenham's 18th appearance in the semi-finals, and their first since in nine years.
• The Londoners are aiming to oust a top-flight club for the third round in a row, following Bolton and Fulham.
• Spurs have qualified for the final on nine occasions. They won their most recent in 1991, by beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 after extra time in the Wembley showpiece.
• Their last match on Wembley turf was a goalless draw with Manchester United in last season's Carling Cup final (1 March 2009), which the Red Devils won on penalties.
The Manager
• Harry Redknapp famously led Portsmouth to FA Cup victory in the season before last.
• He could become the sixth post-war manager to reach the FA Cup final with two different clubs, and the first for 11 years since Ruud Gullit managed it with Chelsea (1997) and Newcastle (1999).
• His only other cup triumph as a manager was with West Ham, when they lifted the Intertoto Cup in 1999.
The Players
• Jeramin Defoe is Tottenham's top scorer in this FA Cup run. His five goals includes a hat-trick against Leeds.
• Defoe, Nigel Crouch and Niko Kranjcar could all play against their former club.
• David Bentley could make his 200th club career start.
• Tom Huddlestone is on the verge of his 150th appearance in Tottenham colours.



PORTSMOUTH
Current form
• Won one and lost four of their last six matches.
• Not scored in their last three.
FA Cup form
• The 1939 and 2008 winners are facing fellow league opposition for the second time in this cup run, having dismissed Birmingham in the quarter-finals. They also ousted Sunderland in round four.
• Pompey are appearing in their seventh semi-final, and hoping to qualify for a fifth appearance in the end-of-season showpiece.
The Manager
• Avram Grant won the Israeli domestic cup on several occasions as coach of Hapoel Petah Tikva, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa.
• This will be Grant's second match at Wembley as a manager; he was in charge of the Chelsea side that lost 2-1 to Spurs after extra time in the Carling Cup final two years ago.
The Players
• Portsmouth's 11 goals in this cup run have been shared between eight players, excluding one own goal. Frederic Piquionne and John Utaka are the only players to have scored twice.
• Kevin Boeteng, Michael Brown and Ricardo Rocha are all former Tottenham players.
Match officials

Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
Assistant referees: Peter Kirkup and David Richardson
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell