Toon trio set for Pompey return

Guthrie, Butt and Duff bolster Kinnear's midfield options

By Mark Jackson   Last updated: 11th December 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Toon trio set for Pompey return

Kinnear: Trio return?

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Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear hopes to have Danny Guthrie, Nicky Butt and Damien Duff available for Sunday's trip to Portsmouth.

The injured trio are all in contention ahead of Newcastle's longest trip of the season to the South Coast.

And Kinnear expects both Butt and Guthrie to be fighting for a place in the starting line-up, whilst Duff has an outside chance, to bolster his ailing midfield.

"It wasn't ideal against Stoke on Saturday in midfield. We'd already lost Nicky and Damien before the game and then Danny got injured in the first-half," said Kinnear.

"But looking ahead to Sunday we'll probably have Butt and Guthrie back and maybe, just maybe, Duff as well."

Optimistic

"So hopefully we'll be going down to Portsmouth with the strongest side that is available to us, apart from Joey Barton."

The Newcastle chief added, "It will be a tough game, we know that, but I always go into matches looking to win and Sunday will be no different."

You can watch Portsmouth v Newcastle at Fratton Park live on Sky Sports 1, coverage starts at 1pm.