Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Ali Mutari will miss Saturday's tough Premier League clash at Aston Villa after getting a one-match ban.
The Ghanaian's ban was ratified by the English FA on Monday following his booking in Saturday's clash with Everton.
It was Muntari's fifth yellow card of the season, sparking the automatic one-match ban.
Muntari was bizarrely booked by referee Peter Walton for taking a free-kick too quickly.
Following other daunting fixtures against Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal before the end of the month, 2008 promises further major challenges when key men Muntari (Ghana), Papa Bouba Diop (Senegal), Kanu and John Utaka (both Nigeria) go off to the African Nations Cup in January for up to four weeks.
Portsmouth coach Redknapp admitted, "People tell me we've got a strong squad, but we haven't. When the African Nations Cup comes round, I lose five players (if Djimi Traore is also called up by Mali) and I'll have exactly 14 outfield players left who can play at Premier League level. That's all.
"We need another three or four in January, loans or something to fill up the squad because if we get an injury we are in trouble. There are no young kids here from the reserves I can throw in."
