Pompey have plans for Mwaruwari

Portsmouth will fly Zimbabwe striker Benjani Mwaruwari to the African Nations Cup in Egypt by private jet on Sunday so he can play in tomorrow’s Barclays Premiership relegation clash at Birmingham.

Mwaruwari will be partnered up front by either Emmanuel Olisadebe or fit-again Vincent Pericard, as Lomana LuaLua has already joined up with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Skipper Dejan Stefanovic is now free of suspension and he looks a likely starter in defence at St Andrew’s along with Matthew Taylor – for whom Pompey turned down an approach from Fulham this week.

Provisional squad: Ashdown, Primus, Griffin, O’Brien, Stefanovic, Pamarot, Taylor, O’Neil, Mendes, Davis, Diao, Cisse, Mwaruwari, Pericard, Olisadebe, Todorov, Karadas, Priske, Westerveld.