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Preview: Manchester United v Portsmouth
25/ 2/2005
MANCHESTER United divert their gaze away from the Champions League and back to Chelsea with Wayne Rooney warning the Barclays Premiership leaders "You haven't won it yet".
With Jose Mourinho's men attempting to atone for their own European disappointment in Barcelona by beating Liverpool in Sunday's Carling Cup final, United can reduce the gap at the top to six points with a televised win over Portsmouth.
Although it would still be a significant lead with just 10 matches of the campaign remaining, it might just place a bit more pressure on the Stamford Bridge outfit, who are finally starting to wobble just as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger claimed they would.
And though United have to shake off the misery of Wednesday's 1-0 home defeat to AC Milan, Rooney insists no-one in the Red Devils' camp has abandoned hope of title glory.
"It is definitely not over," he said. "We are still nine points behind but Chelsea have got a few tough games coming up.
"They have still to play us at Old Trafford and then Arsenal, so you never know.
"If they lose a game before they come to Old Trafford they could really start to feel the pressure.
"Hopefully we can keep the wins going and we could still be there to take the title at the end of the season."
Ruud van Nistelrooy will start the Pompey game after he came through Wednesday's brief appearance unscathed.
Van Nistelrooy came on for 30 minutes against AC Milan after three months out with an Achilles injury and the Dutchman will now step up his drive for match fitness by taking his place in what is likely to be a much-changed starting line-up.
Prior to the FA Cup win over Everton, Ferguson said some of his senior stars would need a rest this weekend, so Roy Keane is almost certain to stand down, while Wayne Rooney might also be granted a break.
Roy Carroll is expected to continue in goal despite his costly blunder against Milan, while Mikael Silvestre and Phil Neville are hoping for a recall.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown and midfielder Patrik Berger must pass fitness tests ahead of the match.
Both were forced to miss training this week with flu but are expected to be named in the starting line-up if they recover in time.
Captain Arjan De Zeeuw is fit after a shin injury while striker Lomana LuaLua is hoping for a recall, but Hayden Foxe, Svetoslav Todorov and Vincent Pericard are still out with long-term injuries.
Manchester United (from): Carroll, Howard, G Neville, P Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Heinze, O'Shea, Spector, Fortune, Ronaldo, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Miller, van Nistelrooy, Smith, Saha, Rooney, Bellion, Rossi.
Portsmouth (from): Ashdown, Cisse, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Taylor, Stone, O'Neil, Hughes, Berger, Kamara, Yakubu, Primus, Griffin, LuaLua, Skopelitis, Mezague, Rodic, Chalkias.
United v Portsmouth - the stats
Latest Premiership form
United: W W W W W
Portsmouth: L L W L L
Head-to-head
Oct 30 2004 Portsmouth 2 United 0
Apr 17 2004 Portsmouth 1 United 0
Nov 1 2003 United 3 Portsmouth 0
Jan 4 2002 United 4 Portsmouth 1
Top Premiership scorers
United: Scholes 8, Rooney 7, Giggs, Smith 5, Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo 4
Portsmouth: Yakubu 10, Berger 3, Kamara, De Zeeuw, LuaLua 2
Danger man: Ayegbeni Yakubu - Pompey's only serious goal threat
Referee: M Halsey - Six bookings in a quiet match against Villa on his last Old Trafford visit!
Prediction: United 2 Portsmouth 0
Will United bounce back against Pompey? Have your say.
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26/02/2005 at 10:10
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Who was United's best player against Blackburn?
26/02/2005 at 12:42
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