Portsmouth boss Tony Adams will turn to Arnold Mvuemba to spearhead his side's FA Cup defence at Bristol City on Tuesday night.Sean Davis failed to report for training after being struck down by a stomach bug over the weekend and has been ruled out along with long-term absentees Papa Bouba Diop and Richard Hughes.

Adams has challenged Mvuemba to seize his chance and fill the boots of his friend Lassana Diarra following his £20million departure to Real Madrid earlier this month.

Midfielder Mvuemba, 23, regularly played alongside Diarra for the French Under-20s but has not enjoyed a similar rise to prominence and is only now getting his chance at Fratton Park due to injuries.

Adams said: "Technically Arnold is very good, he can pass the ball and keep it very well. He was excellent when we played AC Milan earlier in the season but did not do so well against Newcastle so needs to find that consistency.

"He is a young guy who has got to grab his chance now he has got it. I have told the players 'go and fight and if you do not the manager perhaps looks elsewhere'.

"I remember watching him in the Toulon Tournament alongside his old mate Diarra and while Lassy put on a bit of strength, Arnold never did.

"In the Premier League I think you need that resilience and the kid needs to get in the gym, toughen up and hopefully he can take his chance."

Adams has dismissed tomorrow night's third-round replay as "irrelevant" in their fight for Premier League survival despite the real potential for an upset.

Portsmouth have won just once in their last eight games - the dead rubber in the UEFA Cup against Heerenveen - and their poor winter form has seen them dragged into the bottom half of the table.

Adams added: "Hopefully we will not have to talk about a bad result but to be honest it is irrelevant in terms of the league - different day, different team, different competition.

"Wins can give you confidence but you can bounce back from a defeat and the boys are ready to get into the next round.

"People will think there may be a shock but I cannot do anything about that. As far as I am concerned I have prepared my team to win the game."

Adams knows Bristol City manager Gary Johnson extremely well as the pair were classmates on a two-week UEFA Pro Licence course in 2007 and believes his side do not conform to the physical Championship stereotype.

Adams added: "They pass the ball and Gary has got a squad that has been together for a little while now so it will be a tough game.

"I like him, he is a good man, he did well with Latvia and Yeovil and now he is doing well with Bristol City. All his teams want to play football."

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