Sylvain is more than a match for speedy Oba
John Utaka has backed Sylvain Distin to win the battle of the speedsters.
Distin will be tasked with keeping Obafemi Martins quiet when Newcastle come to town on Sunday.
The Nigerian has five goals to his name this season, and has racked up 32 strikes in 79 starts since moving to Tyneside from Inter Milan two years ago.
A searing turn of pace has caused defences plenty of problems since his 10m switch to the Premier League.
But Martins' pal and international team-mate Utaka believes Pompey have the man to keep him quiet in Distin.
Utaka acknowledged Martins' threat, but believes the former Toon defender has the speed in his own locker to deal with him.
He said: 'I know Oba well. He's a good player, no doubt about that.
'In the game he is aggressive but outside of it he is a nice guy.
'Of course it is going to be an interesting battle with Sylvain Distin.
'Sylvain has shown what a great defender he is and has been playing well again this season.
'Oba is quick but Sylvain is even quicker.'
Pompey will be looking to keep Newcastle firmly entrenched in the relegation mix on Sunday.
They delivered one of their best performances of last season, as they picked up their first win at St James' Park since 1949 with a 4-1 success.
Utaka is calling on his side to deliver more of the same as they prepare for a busy run of five games in 15 days.
He said: 'I remember going up there last season and getting a result.
'We enjoyed that occasion at St James' Park.
'We got the goals early. I scored and we were in front by a few goals after 15 minutes, so it was a fun game.
'We are going to need another performance like that this time around.'
Utaka insisted Pompey's confidence has not been dealt a hit in the wake of their disappointing European exit last week.
He feels they can't afford to linger on the loss in Wolfsburg with the crucial festive period on the horizon.
The league table is still the most congested it has been in many a season, with just seven points separating Pompey in seventh and Joe Kinnear's men in 17th.
Utaka knows, however, his team are going into a defining period of the campaign, when it will become clear who is going to be in the shake-up at each end of the table.
He said: 'When you look at the league I feel 23 points is not a bad return for this stage of the season.
'Seventh position is not bad. We are not far off sixth place, so I feel we are doing reasonably.
'We have to keep looking forward after the Uefa Cup. We can't change the clock so let's grab what we have and move forward.
'The league is the priority and we will see how we go in the FA Cup.
'The more points we grab the better, that is the only option.
'Everything is jam-packed at the moment but Christmas is the time that the league begins to take shape.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -4 C to 3 C
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