Portsmouth Preview

Before most games we play I try to read the fans forums and unofficial sites of the team we are about to face in order to ascertain what kind of mood their supporters are in, and how highly they rate their chances against us. I am sure fans of the other clubs reciprocate this habit, and if there are any Portsmouth fans reading the Charlton web today, these are the kind of comments that they will be reading:

Portsmouth might just find us easy pickings on Monday. Anyone want my ticket? - Inspector Sands

I might find something better to do with my time on Monday. Like paint the shed again - Frankie Valley

It was just more of the same old tedium - Cynic Athletic

There was a sense of inevitability about the Addicks' most recent defeat - Official site

I make it 174 days without a {away} win (and counting) - New York Addick

Lack of any invention or prowess from a Charlton side desperate for a change of direction - Chicago Addick

Yes, things are far from rosy in The Addicks garden. If you’re a Portsmouth fan reading this, it’s not that us Charlton fans are miserable b*stards, it’s just that the football we are serving up right now just doesn’t inspire confidence or compliments from the fans.
As I have said on more than one occasion recently, I really wish I could be positive about our prospects in upcoming matches, but I just cannot find the hope to cling to. Even star-of-the-season Darren Bent has seemed a little off the pace recently. Perhaps the weight of the team and the dreams of the fans on his shoulders are finally beginning to take their toll.

Team news from the Pompey point of view shows that Lua Lua faces a late fitness test, but it looks as though both Todorov and Davis aren’t going to make it. Benjani will continue up front, and I wonder what are the odds on him getting his first goal in English football against us?
For the home side, BBC Sport claims that Curbishley has no fresh injury worries, but Curbs was so openly disappointed with our performance at The Cottage that I wouldn’t be surprised to see him ring the changes tomorrow.

Cynic Athletic’s Prediction – 2-1 Defeat (Bent – Benjani, Lua Lua)