Cardiff City v Portsmouth
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final
3pm, Saturday 17 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
Winning clubs will receive £1,000,000 from The FA
Seating plan - click here



Pompey manager Harry Redknapp wants to bring a smile to the people of Portsmouth with an FA Cup win this weekend.

 

Pompey's progress to the final has come as a surprise to many, including Redknapp himself.

 

"When the Quarter-Final draw was made I didn't think we'd be going to a Cup Final," Redknapp admitted.

 

"I couldn't believe it - well I could, actually - because every year my teams seem to get drawn to play Manchester United. I must have had them about eight times now! So when we drew them again - away - I thought, we're going to need a miracle here."

 

But that miracle actually happened.  In an incident-packed game, Redknapp's Portsmouth side shocked United with a late Sulley Muntari penalty sealing their berth in the Semi-Finals.

 

That win secured a trip to Wembley for Portsmouth and gave Redknapp the opportunity to realise the ambitions of his chairman, Alexandre Gaydamak.

 

"My chairman had sent me a text message from Wembley after the League Cup Final between Spurs and Chelsea, his first visit to the new Stadium. It said, "Please can we get to Wembley?" He thought it was so fantastic that he was desperate for us to play there.

 

"The problem was, with the draw we'd had, I thought, 'I'm sorry, I don't know if I can help you this year!' Luckily we put in a great performance at Old Trafford and got a fantastic result."

 

Throughout the season, Portsmouth have been backed by one of the loudest groups of fans anywhere in the country, and Redknapp said he'd love to win the cup for them.

 

"I know just what victory today will mean to the people of Portsmouth. It's a working-class city, and I was brought up in that type of area in London - I know football is an important part of their lives and it'd be nice to bring them a bit of happiness."

 

You can read more from Harry Redknapp in the official FA Cup Final matchday programme, which is available to pre-order online now at www.thefa.com/FACupProgrammes