Pompey duo excited by FA Cup draw

Michael Appleton surveyed Pompey's FA Cup third-round tie at Chelsea and insisted: We've got nothing to lose.

Yesterday, the Blues boss saw his side drawn against the Premier League heavyweights – in a repeat of the 2010 Cup final, which Chelsea won 1-0.

Pompey will be big underdogs for the trip to Stamford Bridge on the weekend of January 7-8.

But Appleton admitted he was excited by the prospect.

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‘We will go into the game against Chelsea with no pressure on us,’ he said.

‘Pretty much everyone else will be expecting us to lose but, hopefully, we can pick up another couple of wins before then and go into the game full of morale and in high spirits.

‘We’ve got nothing to lose and I’m definitely excited about it.

‘As draws go, it was one of the biggest we could have got and I’m sure a lot of Pompey fans will be excited to go to the Bridge.’

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While some fans were disappointed with the draw, Blues defender Jason Pearce was jumping around his living room as a life-long Chelsea supporter.

Pearce said: ‘I was absolutely buzzing. I always used to go with my dad when I was younger and it was always a dream of mine to play a competitive game at Stamford Bridge.

‘A lot of my family are Chelsea fans and have already said they are going to get tickets and sit in the Chelsea end.

‘I don’t think there will be any support for me!

‘If I am fortunate enough to play, I would love to help us cause an upset. All of their players are world class and it would be brilliant to pit my wits against them.’