O'Hara's broken back leaves his Wembley hopes in the balance

Portsmouth's FA Cup hopes received a setback yesterday when Jamie O'Hara revealed he could miss the final because he is playing with a broken back.

The midfielder, on loan from Tottenham, is having pain-killing injections and only played 45 minutes against Everton on Sunday. He will leave it until as late as possible this week before deciding if he is fit to play Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.

He said: "I have got two fractures on the lower part of my spine, and if it was any other time of the season, it is eight weeks out. I am really struggling and can't do anything. I can get around, but it is not how you want to be going into a Cup Final."

O'Hara, 23, has been Portsmouth's player of the season but will not try and play for the sake of it against the new Premier League champions. He said: "In such a massive game, I would not want to jeopardise the team by going out there half-fit."

Spurs have been kept informed, as O'Hara will return to their care after the weekend. He said: "After this, I will be out for a couple of months. If you keep playing on it, you could be looking at a year out."

Meanwhile, Avram Grant has pleaded with Chelsea to spare his side the sort of thrashing they gave Wigan on Sunday. The Portsmouth manager, who was in charge of the London club two years ago, joked: "We had an agreement they will stop at 4-0. I said I did so many good things for you, you have to give back but I know you are not used to giving back."