Portsmouth Vs Burnley
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DATE: Sat 5 Dec 2009
TIME: 12:45
VENUE: Fratton Park
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Portsmouth boss Avram Grant is missing influential defender Younes Kaboul for his side's Barclays Premier League home game with Burnley on Saturday.
The former Tottenham man serves a one-match ban for picking up five bookings, but Jamie O'Hara, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mike Williamson and Tommy Smith all return after being cup-tied for the Carling Cup clash with Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Goalkeeper David James is a doubt as he struggles with a calf injury, while the game probably comes too soon for Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and Steve Finnan (groin), who both returned to training this week.
Grant has claimed his players remain focused on beating Burnley despite having to wait another week for their November wages.
The club's players are normally paid by the last working day of the month, but the cash did not arrive in their bank accounts last Monday.
Grant confirmed the Fratton Park outfit paid their stars 25% of their wages on Friday, but added they would have to wait until next Friday for the remaining 75%.
This is the second time this season Portsmouth's players have had their monthly salaries delayed, after they were forced to wait for their September cash when former owner Sulaiman Al-Fahim failed to pay.
Current owner Ali Al-Faraj stepped in, promising to refinance the club but director of communications Gary Double confirmed Pompey were taking out a bank loan to cover the outstanding wages.
Double also revealed the club's refinancing should be complete by the end of the month.
Professional Footballers Association representative Nick Cusack met with the club's director of finance, Tanya Robbins, before speaking to Linvoy Primus, David James, captain Michael Brown and PFA representative Hermann Hreidarsson.
The whole squad was then briefed on the situation and Grant, who has also not been paid, understands the concerns within his camp.
But the Israeli has called on his players to remain professional and focus their attention on beating Burnley.
He said: "Even if they are not happy about this situation, they are professional. They know we need to win and they don't want to stay at the bottom of the league.
"They are proud players and no sportsman would want to be in this position - with money or without."
Grant added: "Everybody isn't happy about this - not us, not the owner and not the players.
"But we have a game and we need to concentrate on the game.
"When the players were informed about this, they were not happy.
"But they were very focused on the game in training and they know what is important. That's winning the games and we are thinking about this."
Burnley captain Steven Caldwell is suspended after his red card last week at West Ham.
Manager Owen Coyle will therefore have to change his defence for the first time in eight matches and is likely to drop Andre Bikey back from a defensive midfield position, which could pave the way for Kevin McDonald to come in.
On-loan striker David Nugent is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Burnley forward Robbie Blake believes some of the criticism levelled at the team this season will have had his defensive team-mates wanting "to punch the TV".
The Clarets weaknesses were pored over by television commentators as they went 5-0 down at West Ham last week before eventually fighting back to 5-3 at Upton Park.
But Blake said the players were immune to it as they had total belief in Coyle's methods.
"Pundits are going to knock us. It's a lot easier for me because I'm a forward but I can imagine some of the defenders wanting to punch the TV," said the 33-year-old.
"But we are big enough players and we have to take it. It is high-pressure stuff in the Premier League with things highlighted so much.
"There are no down-beat players in our team - the gaffer would not allow that.
"You can never speak highly of these lads. We are all one unit, there are no individuals, and we all want to stay in this league."
Burnley have taken just one point - a 3-3 draw at Manchester City a month ago - in their seven away matches this season but head to Portsmouth looking to end that dismal run.
And despite some heavy defeats on the road, Blake stressed there would no change of emphasis.
"You have to trust the manager and the players," he said.
"The gaffer has got his beliefs and there is no way he wants to change them, and rightly so.
"He has assembled a good group of players who like to attack teams and entertain people.
"He shouldn't have any doubters about where we've come from and he's going to keep playing the same way."
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