Pompey take on Exeter City in what should be a deluge of rain if the match actually goes ahead tomorrow, looking to bounce back from the terrible defeat to Torquay last week.
Team News
Richie Barker has no new injury worries ahead of the match but may choose to restore Andy Barcham, Wes Fogden and Thery Racon to the starting line-up.
Grecians midfielder Matt Gill will be assessed ahead of the match should it go ahead whilst strikers Tom Nichols may return to the starting eleven at John O'Flynn's expense.
The Match
The biggest talking point ahead of this match is simply whether the weather will cause it to be postponed. Exeter have been tweeting pictures of their pitch in good condition at the moment but with Devon set to be battered by storms tonight there is some doubt as to whether the pitch will be waterlogged.
Somerset CCC have lent their blotter to the Grecians so they're doing all they can to ensure the match takes place tomorrow but there is more than a fair chance it will be called off with up to 40mm of rain forecast to hit the Southwest of England in the next 24 hours.
If the match does go ahead, Pompey fans can expect to be soaked on the St. James' Park open terrace whilst hoping their team can respond to their awful performance and result against tomorrow's opposition's near neighbours.
The biggest problem during that game was the lack of fight and energy in centre midfield. Some fans have been calling for Fogden to play in the centre tomorrow but he hasn't played too many games there in his career and Barker is hinting that Racon will partner Nicky Shorey in the centre, with Romain Padovani being dropped.
Jed Wallace may be another who gets dropped as inconsistency continues to plague his performances so Fogden should be given his chance to shine, even if it is out wide.
The front in Ryan Taylor and Jake Jervis two may work hard but they need to be more threatening if Pompey are to win this match. The defence, despite conceding last week, have generally been good and won't need any tinkering.
As for Exeter, some of their fans have become frustrated with Paul Tisdale, who was supposedly on Pompey's radar earlier in the season, because his team fails to produce any end product despite playing good football at League Two level.
The Grecians have only won once since Boxing Day and are struggling to score goals. They are only two points above Portsmouth in the table (despite having played a game less) and so three points against our fellow relegation strugglers will be most welcome.
If Pompey lose this match then relegation to non-league becomes a more real prospect than ever but they have been performing better on the road and will have been read the riot act after such an unacceptable showing against Torquay.
Let's just hope the match takes place tomorrow as yet another Tuesday night game will congest the fixture list further and the pressure will pile on even harder with the club sliding towards the bottom two of the bottom division.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Exeter
GK: Artur KRYSIAK
RB: Danny BUTTERFIELD
CB: Pat BALDWIN
CB: Danny COLES
LB: Craig WOODMAN
RM: Liam SERCOMBE
CM: Matt GILL
CM: Matt GRIMES
LM: Aaron DAVIES
SS: Jimmy KEOHANE
CF: John O'FLYNN
Pompey
GK: Trevor CARSON
RB: Daniel ALFEI
CB: Ben CHORLEY
CB: Joe DEVERA
LB: Marcos PAINTER
RM: Ricky HOLMES
CM: Thery RACON
CM: Nicky SHOREY
LM: Wes FOGDEN
CF: Jake JERVIS
CF: Ryan TAYLOR
Last Time: Exeter City 1 Portsmouth 2 (FA Cup Third Round - 04/01/1992)
Guy Whittingham and Warren Aspinall got the goals for Jim Smith's men as Pompey's famous run to the FA Cup Semi-Final of 1992 began.
My Prediction
Tomorrow's match, if it goes ahead, is likely to be a clash of styles with Exeter's passing game up against Pompey's containing setup. Both sides are struggling to find the net and given the conditions, this could well be another goalless draw.
Exeter City 0 Portsmouth 0