Harry - No favours to Fulham

Redknapp says he owes it to other relegation-threatened teams to field his best side

Last updated: 5th May 2008

Harry Redknapp Portsmouth Premier League Football Blackburn

Redknapp: Made pledge

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Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has pledged to play his strongest side against Fulham on Sunday.

Three wins out of four have lifted the Cottagers out of the Premier League drop zone for the first time since December.

They now need to beat Pompey at Fratton Park on Sunday to secure their top flight safety.

But if Roy Hodgson's men were hoping Portsmouth are going to do them a favour by fielding a weakened team ahead of their FA Cup final outing later this month, they have been told by Redknapp to forget it.

Redknapp's pledge will be welcome news to both Birmingham and Reading, who need Fulham to slip up and then achieve results themselves against Blackburn and Derby respectively to have any chance of beating the drop.

Full strength

Redknapp told Sky Sports: "I will field a full strength side as I owe that to other people in a relegation battle.

"I wouldn't do that - it is not fair, I wouldn't want someone to do that to me so I won't be doing that.

"It will be a tough game against Fulham. I know some people say you have to look after yourself maybe, and if I get injuries they will say I shouldn't have done it but next week I will be putting out as good a team as I can field.

"They have had a flyer, they have done what we did two years go - everyone wrote us of and everyone wrote Fulham off and now they are right back in the race and it will be a very difficult game again next week but I will make sure we are up for that game - I will make sure of that."