Manchester City-Portsmouth Preview

Aug 28, 2009 - 4:31 PM ALEX CROOK STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Mark Hughes has warned Portsmouth Carlos Tevez is warming up after the Argentine international claimed his first goal for Manchester City ahead of Sunday's trip to Fratton Park.

Tevez bagged City's second in their 2-0 Carling (League) Cup victory over Crystal Palace and after opting to use him primarily from the bench so far this season Hughes admits he is in line for a starting spot.

The City boss is spoilt for choice in the striking department with Tevez, the in-form Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy and Roque Santa Cruz, who is still yet to feature this season as he battles back from injury.

Hughes said: "That was important for him. I hoped he would get the opportunities in the game and he was able to get off the mark.

"His energy and enthusiasm for the game shone through.

"He is working well with Emmanuel Adebayor \2013 Carlos is a great player with great intelligence. He makes runs time and time again.

"The more he plays for us, the better he will become. We have got Adebayor off the mark and now Carlos, so we are delighted."

Thursday's win at Selhurst Park also witnessed the debut of Joleon Lescott who made his bow for the club following his 22 million pounds switch from Everton.

Hughes is expected to keep the back-line pairing of Lescott and Kolo Toure for the trip to the south coast as he aims to maintain their impressive start to the season.

Hughes added: "He did will and especially considering he had only been at the club 24 hours. He will be a big asset to this football club."

City have no fresh injury concerns for Sunday's game with Hughes likely to be unchanged from the midweek win.

Portsmouth boss Paul Hart is just relieved Sulaiman Al-Fahim's drawn out takeover of the club has finally been completed after three months of tireless negotiations.

Al-Fahim's package looked to be insufficient with club chief executive Peter Storrie mounting a rival consortium, however at the 11th hour owner Alexandre Gaydamak decided to sell to the Arabian billionaire.

With their future, for now, assured Hart has finally been able to bolster his ranks with the additions of Watford forward Tommy Smith, Wigan midfielder Michael Brown and Ivory Coast international striker Aruna Dindane from Lens.

Hart said: "We have been in a very difficult situation for the last nine months and that has been well documented.

"We have been working within limited budgets, trying to improve the squad and it has been a long summer.

"But now everything is decided so we can stop standing still and now be in a position to take the club forward."

Hart lost club captain Sylvain Distin to Everton for six million pounds so will plug the gap left by the Frenchman's departure by playing Aaron Mokoena at centre-half.

England goalkeeper David James is expected to start having recovered from a knee injury.