After Tuesday night's defeat to Peterborough, Steve Cotterill will be feeling the pressure as his team take on Leeds United tomorrow.
Team News
Aaron Mokoena faces a late fitness test but Dave Kitson remains sidelined with a rib injury and Luke Varney serves the final game of his suspension.
Michael Brown may well start against his former club but Luciano Becchio will have to be content with a place on the bench given Ross McCormack's current goalscoring form.
The Match
There will be many Pompey fans travelling to Elland Road tomorrow dreading just how many goals a free scoring Leeds side are going to score against a team who were a shambles defensively against the Posh in midweek.
However, Simon Grayson's side are vulnerable at the back and if Cotterill is brave enough to play two up front then that decision may well pay dividends.
The Portsmouth manager is faced with a dilemma that may well possibly be a lose-lose situation. Does he tell his team to keep it tight and play the dire football we have seen in the past in hopes of keeping a clean sheet and risk the wrath of the fans for being boring?
Or does he continue to play the expansive and at times attractive football that was seen on Tuesday and run the risk of his team being completely dominated away from home?
It won't be an easy decision but one thing I will ask of the manager is to restore Ricardo Rocha back to the side. Give him the centre back role alongside Pearce and shift Halford to right back in the place of Ward who was given the runaround by Peterborough's forwards in the last game.
Whoever plays at the back tomorrow is going to have a hard time to stop Ross McCormack from scoring as he has started this season in red hot form whilst the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Jonny Howson and Andy Keogh also possess a potent goal threat. You'd have to be brave (or stupid) to bet on a Pompey clean sheet tomorrow.
As for own attack, it looks like Benjani will start up front on his own again. Hopefully he will have remembered the offside rule after Tuesday's frustrating display and he may well get some joy from the generous Leeds defence, especially if Huseklepp and Riise are allowed to get at them.
Of course, given the disciplinary records of both sides it wouldn't be unrealistic to see either, or even both sides finish the game with less than eleven men. What odds on Michael Brown seeing red against his former employers?
Whatever might happen, you would have to be an optimist to believe Pompey can go to Elland Road and win. However, we have proved to be a bogey team in the past for the Whites and we have a good record against them, so not all hope is lost.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Leeds
GK: Andy LONERGAN
RB: Tom LEES
CB: Patrick KISNORBO
CB: Darren O'DEA
LB: Andy WHITE
RM: Robert SNODGRASS
CM: Jonny HOWSON
CM: Adam CLAYTON
LM: Danny PUGH
CF: Andy KEOGH
CF: Ross McCORMACK
Pompey
GK: Jamie ASHDOWN
RB: Aaron MOKOENA
CB: Greg HALFORD
CB: Jason PEARCE
LB: Tal BEN-HAIM
CM: Hayden MULLINS
CM: Liam LAWRENCE
CM: David NORRIS
RWF: Bjorn-Helge RIISE
LWF: Erik HUSEKLEPP
CF: BENJANI
Last Time: Leeds United 3 Portsmouth 3 (Championship - 28/12/2010)
The home side raced into a two goal lead inside ten minutes as Max Gradel tapped in the first and Jonny Howson curled a second goal past Ashdown but Nugent then pulled one back before the break with an acute finish.
Bradley Johnson's volley in the second half restored the home side's two goal cushion but the home celebrations lasted barely a minute as Andy O'Brien deflected in Richard Hughes' shot straight from kick off for his first own goal of the game.
Just as Leeds fans were leaving the ground and taunting the Pompey fans, O'Brien decided to do his old club a huge favour and collide with Kasper Schmeichel as the ball hit the former's foot and trickled in the net for a stoppage time OG which sent the travelling fans mental and silenced the home crowd.
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My Prediction
Given the form of both sides going into this one, I can only predict another defeat for Pompey in an open, entertaining game.
Leeds United 3 Portsmouth 2