Utaka a doubt for Portsmouth

Portsmouth’s Nigeria winger John Utaka is a fitness doubt for tomorrow’s UEFA Cup first round first leg tie at home to Portugal’s Guimaraes.

Utaka damaged a knee in training yesterday and faces a late fitness test with Glen Little, who has yet to appear in a match since his summer move from Reading, on stand-by after coming through a reserve team game to test a thigh injury.

Manager Harry Redknapp has excluded striker David Nugent and former Arsenal defender Lauren from his European squad, admitting that when he had to submit his list of names last month he expected the pair to be sold in the transfer window.

Provisional squad: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Belhadj, Utaka, Little, Diarra, Davis, A Traore, Crouch, Defoe, Diop, Kaboul, Kanu, Hughes, Wilson, Ritchie, Pamarot, Hreidarsson, Mvuemba, Ashdown.