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Portsmouth's Kranjcar coming back to haunt Carson

Niko Kranjcar is ready to heap more misery on Scott Carson.

Pompey's in-form Croatia midfielder is prepared to crush the Aston Villa keeper again after his goal helped dump England out of the European Championships last month.

Carson's calamitous spill of Kranjcar's shot stunned Wembley and sent Steve McClaren's team spinning out of next summer's tournament on a dark night for English football.

He said: 'This time I hope I score without him helping me," he told The News.

'I'll be practising my 25 yarders as I always do.

'I wasn't thinking to shoot when I scored against England, but my first touch gave me that option.

'I wanted to hit it in the top corner but didn't hit it that well.

'I knew it was going to get an awkward bounce but I didn't think it would go in - and you know the rest.

'I don't think Carson will be thinking about me on Saturday, though. He's an international keeper.

'He'll try to put the match out of his mind. His form after that game has been better than it was in that game, too.

'When you think about it, he made two excellent saves that kept England in it for much longer than they were supposed to be.

'So the loss wasn't just his fault.

'Maybe I have the psychological edge but it's not just about me versus Scott Carson, it's Portsmouth versus Aston Villa.'

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