FA Cup / Richard Walker / 16 February 2008 /

Richard Walker is all over Pompey in Sunday's second live televised FA Cup fixture

Trying to find the value plays in an FA Cup tie between Premiership and Championship sides requires the need to weigh up how the top-flight manager is likely approach the tie.

Sat just three points off a European spot, you'd be forgiven for making the assumption that Portsmouth might go to Preston North End on Sunday with one eye firmly fixed on league business. But the 'Arry Redknapp factor, in my opinion, puts paid to that notion.

A stauch advocate of all things traditional - you won't find the Pompey boss courting the 39th game abroad idea too readily - good old 'Arry will be fielding his strongest side. Just as he did in beating both Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle in previous rounds. Thus their odds to back them to win, [1.84], would be my firm recommendation for this tie.

Imaginative? Probably not. But, aligned with a backing of the [2.08] on offer for Over in the Over/Under 2.5 goals market, and the value in this tie starts to get teased out.

All this is not to say North End's chances should be dismissed without a second glance, however. They are on a run of four consecutive home victories - two of those against Championship promotion candidates Watford and West Bromwich Albion. But this is different, and it's asking a lot to take two sets of recent results and compare them as if they were similar for they're not. We've all seen the difference between the two divisions - and, believe me, my footballing diet is a long way from a constant supply of prawn sandwiches.

In terms of the magic of the FA Cup, more's the pity that gulf in class does exist for, even five or six years ago, while the Premiership still existed the class divide wasn't quite so large. And it's exacerbated here because, far from their nearly-promoted seasons of recent times, Preston North End is a club struggling to preserve its Championship status right now.

Whites' rookie boss Alan Irvine - he of the silvery bouffant hair (David Moyes' former assistant, yes?) - will proclaim that this is a massive day for the Lancashire side, yet, although he's not lying, he knows the priority at Deepdale lies a long way from a fancy cup win over the Redknapp's south coast artisans.

Personnel wise, Pompey suffered more than most from Africa Cup of Nations duty but, with that over, they'll be at near full strength - albeit having replaced Benjani with Milan Baros and the cup-tied Jermain Defoe since the FA Cup's fourth round at the end of January.

Thing is with Pompey, while there's no prolific single marksman without the departed Benjani and absent Defoe, goals can come from just about anywhere with as many as 10 other players having registered goals this term - including the returning Africans.

Contrast that with Preston, who have striker Karl Hawley and midfielder Simon Whaley joint-top of the goal charts with a 'massive' five. On top of that, it's 40 years and more since North End last reached an FA Cup quarter-final.

So while there may not be an out-and-out pedigree striker on display in this tie, something tells me there'll be goals, since neither side will want a long-distance replay nor play with a patented defensive style - therefore that [2.08] about backing Over 2.5 goals is a price worth reiterating.

Three-nil, [20.0] to back, and 3-1, [19.0] to back, in favour of Redknapp's men are the numbers I'm most interested in, casting an eye over the Correct Score market. With eight away Premiership victories, Pompey are unlikely to need their new star striker to frank their superb travelling form against the Championship strugglers.

Of the Half Time/Full Time options, backing Portsmouth/Portsmouth at [3.15] - or perhaps Draw/Portsmouth at [5.7] which makes most appeal as a value choice - are the things to do if you trust Redknapp to take this tie as seriously as he has the previous two.

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