Preston North End fans will face an FA Cup test of their own this Sunday as they go head-to-head against the self-proclaimed 'best fans in the Premiership' from Portsmouth and PNE boss Alan Irvine believes the Preston fans will be up to the task.

Portsmouth's fans are notoriously loud and come accompanied with bell, bugle and band, the so-called 12th man will be backed by a following in the region of 1500 fans on Sunday but Irvine believes that the Deepdale faithful is capable of drowning out their Premiership visitors and help cheer his team on  to victory.

"They will be a big help I'm quite sure and I'm hoping that they turn up in big numbers and that they are fully behind us and helping us as much as they possibly can," Irvine said in the build-up to the big match.

"It's clearly a lot better if your own fans are singing and shouting for you than if they are a bit quiet. Our fans have been good really in recent games, I've been really pleased with the response and I would expect that with it being such a big game that the fans would be very much involved.

"It's a great opportunity for them to come and watch a very good Premiership team. It's a welcome game, it's a really big game for us and a really important game for us and one that we are all looking forward to."

It's on the pitch that the game will be won and lost though and the Preston gaffer is under no illusions as to the task in hand.

"We've got to get past a really good team, there have been a lot of shocks this year, there always are but there has probably been even more this season, hopefully there will be another one here on Sunday.

"It's a really difficult game, they are a really good side, they've got a fantastic record on the road this year and it will be a really tough game. We will need to be at our very best to get a result against Portsmouth.

"They've got quality throughout the team and they have got the players back from the African Cup of Nations, sadly the tournament didn't go on a little bit longer. They're full of quality, they're very good at the back, they've got a top class keeper and fantastic players throughout the team and they will be a threat in all sorts of areas."

Irvine is aware that his side are big outsiders for the visit of Harry Redknapp's side but he laughed off Sol Campbell's suggestions that Sunday's game will be the Club's Cup Final.

He said: "It's a big game for us, it's sadly not the Cup Final, I wish it was, it's a really big game and a great opportunity for us, but we have got to win another couple of games before we get to the cup final.

"We will have to be at our very best and probably them not being at their very best. It's a huge challenge for us without any question, a very difficult game and we are going to have to perform very well for 90 minutes all over the pitch and we have probably got to hope that Portsmouth have a couple of players that don't perform so well on the day."

You can still get tickets for this massive FA Cup game. Call into the ticket office yourself (Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10-4), purchase your tickets over the phone by calling 0870 442 1966 or buy online at www.mypne.com until 23.59pm on Saturday evening.