Portsmouth vs. Arsenal Boxing Day 2007

Portsmouth vs. Arsenal



Matchday 19
December 26, 2007
Fratton Park


Tomas Rosicky bangs in the third of three Arsenal goals in their 3-1 home win over Portsmouth earlier this season.
Portsmouth play host to Arsenal at Fratton Park on Boxing Day. Arsenal are looking to extend their winning streak while Portsmouth will hope to end a two-match losing streak and home four-match goal drought. Everyone watching will hope that this match is more exciting than May's season closer closer at Pompey, an uninspired goalless draw that saw Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure started in midfield.

Arsenal sit first on 43 points while Portsmouth are seventh in the league table with 30 points.

Portsmouth (www.portsmouthfc.co.uk)

Benjani, like everyone else, is in awe of the graceful Philippe Senderos.

From: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Pamarot, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Davis, Diop, Muntari, Kranjcar, Pedro Mendes, Benjani, Kanu, Taylor, Nugent, Lauren, Hughes, Ashdown.

01 James
04 Lauren 23 Campbell 15 Distin 07 Hreidarsson
08 Diop 22 Hughes 11 Muntari
25 Benjani 27 Kanu 19 Kranjcar

Substitutes
31 Begovic
06 Traore
10 Nugent
14 Taylor
17 Utaka

Arsenal (arsenal.com)

Cesc Fabregas opens the scoring at Emirates Stadium in September.

From: Almunia, Lehmann, Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Eboue, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Diarra, Rosicky, van Persie, Adebayor, Senderos, Traore, Song, Denilson, Bendtner, Diaby, Eduardo.

24 Almunia
03 Sagna 10 Gallas 05 Toure 22 Clichy
27 Eboue 04 Fabregas 16 Flamini 07 Rosicky
13 Hleb
25 Adebayor

Substitutes
01 Lehmann
02 Diaby
08 Diarra
20 Song
26 Bendtner

Like I said, everyone. Including Mark Halsey.

About The Match

• Kick off is at 7:45 PM GMT (London), 2:45 PM EST.
  
• Portsmouth have only won at home v Bolton and Reading this season, and have not scored at home in the last four games (six hours of goalless play).
  
• Portsmouth was the last team to keep a cleansheet against Arsenal back in May.
  
• Arsenal have won every Boxing Day match since 2000; Portsmouth have not lost on Boxing Day match since 2002.
  
• Portsmouth were unbeaten in 11 league matches before two consecutive losses leading up this match.
  
• Arsenal are the highest scoring team in the league, having an average of 2.0 goals per game (36 goals in 18 games).
  
• Arsenal have only lost one league match this year - away to Middlesborough.
  
• High scorers for Arsenal are Adebayor, Fabregas (10) and van Persie, Eduardo (7); for Portsmouth, Benjani (9), and Muntari, Kanu (4).
  
• Kolo Toure, Sylvain Distin, and David James have played every minute of their respective team's league matches.
  
• Portsmouth have three former Arsenal players: Sol Campbell, Lauren, and Kanu. All three were a part of the Invincibles' Arsenal side that went unbeaten in 49 league matches.