Stefanovic winning fitness battle

Skipper Dejan Stefanovic is winning his fight for fitness to lead Portsmouth into the FA Cup fourth-round tie with Liverpool on Sunday despite being stretchered off in last week’s 5-0 defeat at Birmingham with a suspected fractured cheekbone.

A scan has revealed no break, just bad bruising, and the centre-half’s damaged ankle is a bigger concern but Noe Pamarot is out with a hamstring injury and Andy Griffin sidelined by a one-match ban.

Strikers Benjani Mwaruwari and Lomana LuaLua are still in Egypt for the African Nations Cup and manager Harry Redknapp is set to give new goalkeeper Dean Kiely his debut.

Team (from): Kiely, Primus, Priske, Stefanovic, O’Brien, Taylor, O’Neil, Davis, Mendes, Olisadebe, Pericard, Hughes, Diao, Karadas, Todorov, Ashdown.