African trio return

Portsmouth have Papa Bouba Diop, Kanu and John Utaka all back from the African Nations Cup for the Barclays Premier League trip to Bolton but centre-back Sylvain Distin again looks set to miss out with a hamstring injury.

Midfielder Sulley Muntari must stay with Ghana for tomorrow’s third-place play-off after they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Cameroon, but Utaka and Diop look set to go straight into the Pompey starting line-up. Kanu’s recovery from a knee injury which curtailed his tournament is a boost and he could be on the substitutes’ bench.

Manager Harry Redknapp will keep the Jermain Defoe-Milan Baros partnership up front if Baros has returned unscathed from 90 minutes for the Czech Republic against Poland in midweek. David Nugent is still out after a hernia operation.

Team (from): James, Johnson, Campbell, Hreidarsson, Pamarot, Utaka, Diarra, Diop, Kranjcar, Davis, Hughes, Baros, Defoe, Kanu, Pedro Mendes, Mvuemba, Lauren, Aubey, Ashdown.