ALAN Curbishley has called on his West Ham team to bring FA Cup finalists Portsmouth - and former Irons hero Harry Redknapp - "down to earth with a bump" at Upton Park tonight.

Pompey, managed by ex-Hammers player and boss Redknapp, arrive in East London having reached their first Wembley final in 69 years by beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 on Saturday.

However, Curbishley has vowed to upset the South Coast side's celebrations by leading his team to a victory that would close the gap on ninth-placed Manchester City to just two points.

"People say it could be a good time to play them sometimes but they must be on a fantastic high," observed Curbishley, who first came across opposite number Redknapp as a 14-year-old schoolboy training with the Hammers.

"It's great for them but they come back down to earth tonight and hopefully it's with a bump and we'll get the result."

Despite his intention to silence the Pompey chimes tonight, Curbishley expressed his delight at Redknapp reaching the first Wembley final of his 25-year managerial career.

The 61-year-old has taken charge of 1,050 games at Bournemouth, West Ham - who led 327 times between August 1994 and May 2001 - Portsmouth and Southampton, but this season's showpiece will be the first time, aside from last weekend's semi-final, he has led his team out at the home of football.

"When you've been in the game a long time, I am delighted for Harry as I am for (Cardiff City manager) Dave Jones - I know him really well as we played together in the England youth team a long, long while ago," said Curbishley.

"It doesn't come around too often.

"The cups have been dominated by the big-four so in some respects I'm delighted for both of them, but I'm also really, really jealous as well because I think, up and down the country, most of the managers are because they'll be leading their teams out at Wembley and it doesn't come around too often.

"Harry's been around a long while and I think he was perhaps thinking the chance had passed him by, but he's got there this year and Dave Jones wouldn't have thought in this day and age that a Championship side would have been able to get to Wembley, but they're there with a chance of getting into Europe."

While he is envious of his old pals' FA Cup final achievements, Curbishley also admitted to feeling a hint of jealousy at Portsmouth's injury-free season - a complete contrast to the "catastophe" that has ruled no fewer than 10 first team squad members out of tonight's clash.

"This year, Portsmouth have done what most of us would have liked to have done," Curbishley added.

"They brought players into their side and, by and large, they've all played and stayed fit and been in a team that's been consistent.

"The only bad spell they had was when the African Cup of Nations came along and they missed three-or-four. Apart from that, it's been a very settled side.

"All their players, Distin, Hreidarsson, Muntari, Johnson and Diop, have always been available and they've been a strong side this year."

West Ham hope to have England defender Matthew Upson (calf), George McCartney (hamstring), Freddie Sears (groin), Bobby Zamora (blisters) and John Pantsil (concussion) back tonight.

However, Freddie Ljungberg (hamstring) has not recovered from the injury he suffered in last week's defeat at Sunderland.

West Ham: (from) Green, Walker, Neill, Spector, McCartney, Tomkins, Ferdinand, Upson, Pantsil, Mullins, Noble, Parker, Boa Morte, Solano, Collison, Ashton, Cole, Zamora, Sears, Camara.