Portsmouth will show West Bromwich Albion how good they really are

Apr 2 2008

ROBERT Koren believes Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Portsmouth will give a clear indication of West Bromwich Albion's Premier League credentials.

The Slovenian midfielder is looking forward to taking on Harry Redknapp's sixth-placed side at Wembley.

Despite the one-off nature of the game, Koren feels it wll give a pointer to how far the Baggies have progressed.

Tony Mowbray's Albion side drew at Cardiff last night, bringing them to within three points of leaders Bristol City, with a game in hand.

But Koren is now preparing to put all his energies into Saturday's game.

"We want to get promotion to the Premier League and we will do what we can to get there," said Koren.

"We are full of confidence and we know we haven't performed too well recently but we've taken four points and now we have the FA Cup to focus on.

"To play at Wembley in front of so many supporters is big for us and to win on Saturday and reach the final would give us great confidence.

"We've been saying all year we want to play in the Premier League.

"We've been trying to play good football in the process and now we have the opportunity to show what we can do against a good team.

"We have to make sure we are properly prepared to show we are ready for the Premier League.

"But first we will do everything we can to get to the final."

Koren admits it will be difficult maintaining a low-key approach to Saturday's lunchtime showdown.

"We have been focussed on the League but when you get to the FA Cup semi-final then you can't just treat it as another game," he continued.

"Yes, we're playing against a top Premier League team and it will be tough but it's a great challenge for us."