Rational sports predictions.

FULL TIME Now it's Steve Bruce's turn to fume at Mr Friend. No doubt about it, the referee has been the centre of attention tonight. Sunderland, who led this game for 73 minutes, will feel hard done by but Portsmouth certainly deserved at least a point for a spirited, attacking performance. Avram Grant's side created numerous chances, particularly for Piquionne and Dindane who spurned all but one of them. A point is probably not enough for Pompey but at least they've restored some pride after another tough week in their nightmare season. The Black Cats visibly lacked confidence and looked shaky in defence. They should have enough to stay up but desperately need to put an end to this awful run, which now reads 12 games without a win. Full time at Fratton Park, Portsmouth 1 Sunderland 1.

PORTSMOUTH 1-1 SUNDERLAND They've done it! The corner is worked short to O'Hara whose deep cross is nodded past Gordon at the back post by ARUNA DINDANE. Dodgy marking, but Portsmouth won't care less.

ONE-WAY TRAFFIC One-way traffic here, and then some. O'Hara's whipped cross into the box is headed over his own bar by Michael Turner.

HANDBALL SHOT Another penalty shout for Portsmouth came in the build-up to the volley, incidentally, as Kenwyne Jones appeared to handle the ball in the box. Doubt it was deliberate, though.

BACKS TO THE WALL And now O'Hara goes for goal himself, spanking a goalbound 25-yard half-volley which takes a deflection and drops wide. Backs to the wall for Sunderland here, can they hold on?

PIQUIONNE CHANCE O'Hara's floated cross finds Piquionne but his decent header under pressure is parried wide by Gordon.

ADDED TIME Blimey. We've got six minutes left at Fratton Park - plenty of time for an equaliser at least.

LATE CHANGE Nine-men Sunderland shut up shop, replacing Darren Bent with Phil Bardsley.

FINAL SUB Third and final change for Pompey and it's Danny Webber who's on, for Steve Finnan. Four strikers for Pompey and counting.

RED CARD! Quite the one-minute cameo from David Meyler. The 20-year-old Irishman has been sent off for a leading elbow on Steve Finnan as the two leap for a high ball. Definite contact, but very hard to tell if that's deliberate. Mr Friend is a man on a mission tonight.

REID OFF The Irishman hobbles off to be replaced by David Meyler.

HAMSTRING Andy Reid is lay strewn on the turf. Looks like a hamstring strain.

CLAIMED Gentle probing pressure from the hosts but all they can muster is a Finnan cross which Gordon claims with ease.

PIQUIONNE CHANCE What Portsmouth wouldn't give for a clinical striker. Belhadj whips a pinpoint cross from the left flank and Piquionne, six yards out, nods wide of the target. Another clear-cut chance goes begging.

OFFSIDE Marc Wilson's heart just skipped a beat or two. Darren Bent, put through on goal yet again, shoots at James the ball cannons off Wilson and into the net. Fortunately for Pompey, a correct offside flag saves Wilson's blushes.

JONES SHOT Jones comes deep and hammers one from long range, but that's almost as bad as Yebda's shot seven minutes ago.

AND ANOTHER Avram Grant makes another change, swapping Hassan Yebda with Nadir Belhadj.

POMPEY SUB Three strikers on the field for Portsmouth now. Kanu replaces Papa Bouba Diop.

INCHES AHEAD Andy Reid plays in Bent of the right of the area. His low, driven cross is inches ahead of Kenwyne Jones' outstretched leg.

O'HARA SHOT O'Hara jinks inside from the left flank and drives a decent right-footed 20-yard shot towards goal, which is saved by the sprawling Craig Gordon.

YEBDA SHOT That shot from Yebda won't improve Grant's mood. It clears the bar, and the stand.

UNIMPRESSED Avram Grant looks suitably unimpressed, sat in the stands on his mobile phone. Wonder who he's talking to. Bank manager? Job centre consultant? Head of the Professional Game Match Officials board, Mike Riley? Probably just his assistant, to be fair.

OFF THE POST The Black Cats are inches away from doubling their lead. The resulting corner is cleared to Matthew Kilgallon on the edge of the box and his smart first-time side-footed volley cannons off the post. Great attempt from the centre back.

BENT CHANCE Embarrassingly bad defending from Marc Wilson who leaves Darren Bent all on his own from a goal kick, which is flicked on by Kenwyne Jones. The striker is clean through but hits his shot too close to David James.

COMFORTABLY OVER Basinas fancies a hero moment, but cracks a 25 yard rocket comfortably over the bar.

LACKED GUILE Portsmouth in the ascendancy here as they keep some good possession. Little doubt that they've created enough chances for an equaliser, but the front two of Dindane and Piquionne have lacked the class and/or guile to find the back of the net. Kanu or John Utaka, anyone?

PENALTY APPEAL Piquionne and McCartney chase a long hoof into the box - the striker hesitates to shoot and then goes down under the slightest of contacts from the Sunderland defender. No penalty - why didn't the Frenchman just shoot?

BOOKING The yellow cards keep on coming. Ben Haim is in Mr Friend's book now, for a cynical trip on the gallivanting Jones.

RED CARD! Lifeline for Pompey, and stupidity from Lee Cattermole. The midfielder, booked just six minutes ago, clatters into Basinas with a high, strong challenge. Second booking, no question, and it's ten v ten at Fratton Park.

DINDANE CHANCE O'Hara's free kick causes pandemonium in the box and Dindane's shot from close range is well blocked by Gordon. He really has to score there - it's pretty much straight at the keeper.

DINDANE BACK The Ivorian is back on the field.

TREATMENT Dindane has picked up a knock there and needs to leave the field for some treatment.

BOOKING Dindane is hauled back by Cattermole as he tries to launch a Portsmouth counter attack. That's a booking for the Sunderland midfielder.

CORNER Corner for Sunderland at the start of the half but Reid's outswinger is cleared.

GRANT OFF Avram Grant, who continued that rather one-sided slanging match with referee Kevin Friend after the half time whistle, has been sent to the stands for the second half. I never knew he had it in him.

SECOND HALF We're back playing again on the south coast as Sunderland kick us off.

FUMING Lorik Cana trips Dindane from behind. He wins the ball but it's a foul - Avram Grant then sprints a few yards onto the field, demanding a booking. The Portsmouth manager is absolutely fuming with Kevin Friend, presumably for a few 50-50 decisions which have gone Sunderland's way. Never seen the former Chelsea man like this before.

HALF TIME Hardly the tight, cagey borefest we might have expected. Well-organised Sunderland are in charge thanks to Darren Bent's penalty but ten-man Pompey are by no means out of this yet. They've done most of the attacking and, with a moment of magic, could well force a result here.

MALBRANQUE INJURED Malbranque trots off for the visitors with his arm pressed against his chest. Could be the end of the Frenchman's evening - not quite sure where he's picked that up from.

SLIP Dindane slips under Kilgallon's challenge in the box. Pompey's fans scream for a penalty, but that's what I'd call clutching at straws.

ZENDEN ON Bolo Zenden replaces the unfortunate Malbranque.

OFFSIDE Andy Reid slices through Pompey's midfield with a penetrating run and then tees up the overlapping Hutton. He skews his shot wide, but is flagged offside anyway.

SIDE NETTING O'Hara's cross is headed to Papa Bouba Diop whose first-time volley from the left of the box flashes into the side netting.

DISAPPOINTING Dindane, by a distance Portsmouth's most potent attacking threat, gets in down the left but his cross is disappointing.

BLOCKED Good turn and shot from Jones, outside the box, but it's blocked by Yebda.

BRISK PACE No too many chances here but there's a brisk pace to the game. No evidence that Sunderland have got an extra man either - Pompey are more than holding their own here.

O'HARA SHOT O'Hara bends one from range and isn't too far away. Cracking attempt.

OFF TARGET Bent gets his head on the end of a Malbranque cross but can't find the target from ten yards.

BOOKING Dindane is furious with the referee after a free kick goes against him. Too furious in fact - the striker picks up a booking for dissent.

DARTING RUNS Pompey look dangerous, if a little raw, going forward but in defence Darren Bent's darting runs are causing them all sorts of problems. The offside flag has saved the home side on a few occasions so far.

STRAY PASS Dindane gets his head down and sprints towards the box before laying across to Piquionne, but the Frenchman isn't expecting a pass so the ball goes astray.

HIGH AND WIDE Reid tees up Lee Cattermole, tries his luck from range, but it's high and wide.

BOOKING Steve Finnan is booked for a late trip on Andy Reid.

DINDANE CHANCE Finnan's deep left-wing cross finds Piquionne all alone at the back stick. For some reason he chooses to nod across goal for Dindane whose eight-yard shot is saved at point-blank range by Craig Gordon. Massive chance for Pompey, that.

SHUFFLE Yebda is at right back for Pompey, with Finnan at left back. Ben-Haim and Wilson are the new central defensive partnership.

PRESSING Pompey still doing the pressing here. Dindane crosses into the box but it hits the side netting. Sunderland look frightened to commit numbers forward, and who can blame them given their probable lack of confidence.

TWO UP TOP Good recovery from Pompey, who are pursuing with Piquionne and Dindane up front. The former works his way into the box before making a right hash of his cross.

HARSH RED It's a harsh red as well to be fair. Replays confirm that Rocha simply ran across Bent and into his heels from behind - any contact with the striker's boot was accidental. Just what Portsmouth didn't need, and just what Sunderland did.

SUMMARY Just to reaffirm what happened there. Friend sent off Rocha for the last-man tackle on Bent, Rocha stayed on the field protesting his innocence, Friend consulted his assistant who presumably informed him to send off Yebda, then after more arguing Friend recalled Yebda and told Rocha to go again. Clear? I hope so.

PORTSMOUTH 0-1 SUNDERLAND Finally, after a four-minute wait, DARREN BENT steps up and slots a classy penalty past David James which wipes its feet on the post on the way in.

YEBDA ON, ROCHA OFF Deary, deary me. Mr Friend has now realised his error in sending off Yebda, recalled the Algerian and re-sent off Rocha. Amateur refereeing if ever I've seen it.

...CONFUSION Right, Mr Friend, after consulting his assistant, has now sent off Hassan Yedba. Huge confusion here, I really don't know how to explain that. Rocha was the only man anywhere near Bent.

RED CARD! And Rocha is duly sent off by referee Kevin Friend. The defender is desperately unhappy with that, and to be fair the contact looks accidental. Rocha doesn't want to leave the field and isn't budging.

PENALTY! Darren Bent, sent through on goal, is tripped by Ricardo Rocha inside the box just as he's about to shoot ahead of David James.

SCRAMBLED CLEAR O'Hara's deep free kick into the box causes Sunderland a few problems, but eventually they scramble clear.

HUTTON FREEDOM Alan Hutton is getting some early joy down Sunderland's right flank, but from three attempts has yet to float a cross beyond the first man.

EMPTY SEATS Plenty of empty blue seats inside the stadium tonight. That's the last thing this club needs - for its loyal fans to desert them.

KICK OFF We're underway at Fratton Park. Sunderland are clad in their white away kit.

PREVIEW Two sides in desperate need of three points go head to head at Fratton Park tonight in what is sure to be a tension-filled 90 minutes. Sunderland, who had their sights set on the Premier League’s top six just a couple of months ago, have plummeted in recent weeks and currently sit nervously just four points above the drop zone. Mind you, what wouldn’t Portsmouth give to swap places with the Black Cats? Pompey, who continue to be beset with financial problems of the highest order, are marooned seven points off safety, with just 14 games left to pull off the greatest of great escapes.

TEAM NEWS Kevin Prince-Boateng (ankle), John Utaka (hamstring) and Anthony Vanden Borre (leg) all face late fitness tests for Pompey, who will definitely be without Herman Hreidarsson (Achilles), Michael Brown, (back) and Aaron Mokoena (knee). Sunderland’s Jordan Henderson (ankle) faces a month on the sidelines, while Kieran Richardson (calf), Anton Ferdinand (ankle) and John Mensah (hamstring) are also ruled out.

STAT ATTACK In their last 12 games combined these two sides have won the grand total of five points between them (Portsmouth one, Sunderland four). Sunderland’s last league victory came on November 21st against Arsenal, 11 games ago, and Pompey will take heart from the fact they beat the Black Cats in this fixture just last month, a 2-1 FA Cup third round victory. John Utaka (2) and Darren Bent were on the score sheet that day.

THE REF Tonight’s referee Kevin Friend has sent off just three players this season, one of those being Sunderland Lorik Cana for two bookings in their 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa. In 2009-10 he’s also taken charge of the Black Cats’ 2-0 lost at Spurs, and Portsmouth’s 1-0 reverse at Stoke.

KICK OFF 1945 GMT It's not going to be pretty, or bursting with top class football, but there's just no doubting that the stakes are sky high tonight. Can Portsmouth or Sunderland put an end to miserable recent runs of form? Join us from 1915 GMT to find out when we'll bring you all the team news, with kick off at 1945 GMT.

PORTSMOUTH LINE UP Avram Grant, who rested several players for the 5-0 hammering at Man United on Saturday, recalls five players – Steve Finnan, Angelos Basinas, Papa Bouba Diop, Hassan Yebda and Aruna Dindane. They replace Anthony Vanden Borre, Nadir Belhadj, Hayden Mullins, Richard Hughes and Danny Webber. Ricardo Rocha makes his Fratton Park debut in central defence. Full line up: James; Finnan, Ben-Haim, Rocha, Wilson; Yebda, Diop, Basinas, O’Hara; Piquionne, Dindane. Subs: Ashdown, Belhadj, Mullins, Hughes, Kanu, Webber, Owusu-Abeyie.

SUNDERLAND LINE UP Just the one change for Sunderland from their 1-1 draw with Wigan at the weekend, which sees Steed Malbranque replace the injured Jordan Henderson in midfield. Benjani, who made his debut as a late substitute in that game, continues on the bench. Full line up: Gordon; Hutton, Turner, Kilgallon, McCartney; Malbranque, Cana, Cattermole, Reid; Bent, Jones. Subs: Carson, Bardsley, Da Silva, Liddle, Meyler, Zenden, Benjani.