Pompey travel to Bloomfield Road tomorrow evening knowing that a win could see them end the night on top of League Two.
Team News
Paul Cook could name an unchanged side following the demolition of Barnet on Saturday but Kal Naismith may be dropped for Milan Lalkovic after a subpar performance, whilst the latter scored.
Blackpool will be without first choice keeper Sam Slocombe after picking up a groin injury at Crewe and so Dean Lyness will deputise. Jack Redshaw and Danny Pugh remain on the sidelines for the Tangerines.
The Match
In a complete reversal of last season, Pompey have been excellent at Fratton Park but way below par on the road so far this campaign. Just the single goal has been scored courtesy of a soft penalty decision at Exeter whilst the performances at Crewe, Morecambe and Accrington have left a lot to be desired.
It's unclear why Pompey have struggled to perform up north but Saturday's win will surely give them all the confidence they need to turn things around - as long as the manager doesn't tinker with the team.
He may well feel that Michael Smith and Kal Naismith are better options defensively than Conor Chaplin and Milan Lalkovic but the latter pair have been instrumental in Pompey's attacking moves at Fratton Park so surely the best solution is simply just to continue playing in the same way and have a go?
After all, tomorrow's opposition have had a mediocre start to the campaign since being relegated from League One. They only have two wins from their opening nine matches but they do tend to find the net at least once in each game they play, judging by recent matches and so Pompey's defence will have to be more organised than they have been in their previous two trips to Lancashire.
The player to watch out for in a Tangerine shirt tomorrow evening is undoubtedly Jamille Matt. Pompey fans have bad memories of the bulky striker scoring twice for Plymouth in the play-offs at Fratton Park despite the fact he should have been sent off. He is a handful and so Christian Burgess and Tom Davies will have to stay sharp to keep him quiet.
Victory in this game will see Pompey go top of the league if Plymouth fail to win at Leyton Orient. If Gary Roberts can continue his stellar form then there's no reason why that can't be achieved but the feeling is that Michael Doyle and Danny Rose will have to be at their best to ensure Pompey can control the midfield and let the attacking players do their thing.
On a final note, Blackpool fans have asked Pompey fans who are visiting Bloomfield Road to boycott any merchandise and food & drink sales as they continue their fight against the Oystons. Having seen the likes of Balram Chainrai at our own club, it's only right to respect that request and wish them all the best in shafting their disrespectful owners for every penny they can.
Let's just hope that our players will do the business so we will go home happy and not be Lancashire losers for the third time this season!
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Blackpool
GK: Dean LYNESS
RB: Kelvin MELLOR
CB: Clark ROBERTSON
CB: Tom ALDRED
LB: Andy TAYLOR
RM: Danny PHILLISKIRK
CM: Jim McALISTER
CM: Jack PAYNE
LM: Mark YEATES
CF: Jamille MATT
CF: Armand GNANDUILLET
Pompey
GK: David FORDE
RB: Gareth EVANS
CB: Christian BURGESS
CB: Tom DAVIES
LB: Enda STEVENS
DM: Michael DOYLE
DM: Danny ROSE
RM: Gary ROBERTS
AM: Carl BAKER
LM: Milan LALKOVIC
CF: Conor CHAPLIN
Last Time: Blackpool 1 Portsmouth 1 (Championship - 11/02/2012)
Erik Huseklepp gave Pompey the lead on the stroke of half-time after turning in Marko Futacs' cut back but Ian Holloway's men earned a share of the spoils in the second half thanks to Stephen Crainey's free kick.
My Prediction
As excellent as the performance against Barnet was, it's difficult to predict an away win based on the evidence so far as you never know what Pompey team will turn up. Blackpool aren't terrible so a draw is the most likely result.
Blackpool 1 Portsmouth 1