Pompey problems pile up

Portsmouth have injury doubts over seven players for the trip to Aston Villa.

Gary O’Neil (ankle), Richard Hughes (shoulder), Andy Griffin (calf) and Linvoy Primus (groin) will need to pass late checks but Noe Pamarot and Salif Diao are almost certainly ruled out with hamstring strains.

Benjani Mwaruwari should overcome a groin strain to keep his place up front despite not scoring in six games and Wayne Routledge may start in a wide role rather than Ognjen Koroman who played for Serbia in midweek, just four days after being injured on his Pompey debut at Chelsea.

Argentinian Andres D’Alessandro may also be recalled.

Provisional squad: Kiely, Primus, O’Brien, Karadas, Griffin, Taylor, Routledge, Mendes, O’Neil, Hughes, Davis, D’Alessandro, Lualua, Benjani, Koroman, Todorov, Priske, Pamarot, Diao, Ashdown.