Fratton Park will host what looks like will be a sell-out crowd when Pompey take on AFC Wimbledon on Boxing Day.
Team News
Pompey could be unchanged after their 1-1 draw at Cheltenham but Andy Awford may revert back to a 4-4-2 formation back at home.
Dons striker Adebayo Akinfenwa could be missing after he limped off during the 1-0 defeat to Mansfield on Saturday. Defenders Jack Smith and Andy Frampton are out injured.
The Match
Last weekend's draw at Cheltenham was seen as something that Pompey could build on but Pompey fans will be expecting all three back on home turf when mid-table Wimbledon visit Fratton Park.
The Dons currently sit just a place below Pompey in the League Two table and have also been dogged with inconsistency having not managed to string a series of results together.
Matt Tubbs and Adebayo Akinfenwa, two strikers linked with Pompey in the summer with the former now wanted by Awford in January, form a formidable front two with 21 goals between them so far this season and so it's likely that the Dons will find the net against a defence that don't keep clean sheets very often. Having said that, they did fail to find the net in their last match at home to Mansfield which ended in a 1-0 defeat.
Andy Awford has hinted that he may stick with the more defensive formation he used at Cheltenham in the future, although whether he meant he would stick with it for the Boxing Day match is anyone's guess. Given that Pompey are at home, the fans would expect a more attacking line-up to take advantage of the Dons' less-than-solid defence, so it should be an entertaining match.
Whilst it might be entertaining, the three points are the most important thing not just for climbing up the league table, but so some of the more vocal Pompey fans retain some faith with the manager. If this squad is as good as Awford says it is, then the performances need to back that up.
Anything less than a Boxing Day win will surely see the knives out (again) for Awford ahead of a tough trip to Luton.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Paul JONES
RB: Joe DEVERA
CB: Paul ROBINSON
CB: Jack WHATMOUGH
LB: Dan BUTLER
RM: Jed WALLACE
CM: Marcus BEAN
CM: Danny HOLLANDS
LM: Lee HOLMES
CF: Craig WESTCARR
CF: Ryan TAYLOR
Wimbledon
GK: James SHEA
RB: Barry FULLER
CB: Adam BARRETT
CB: Jake GOODMAN
LB: Callum KENNEDY
RM: George FRANCOMB
CM: Sammy MOORE
CM: Dannie BULMAN
LM: Sean RIGG
CF: Adebayo AKINFENWA
CF: Matt TUBBS
Last Time: Portsmouth 1 AFC Wimbledon 0 (League Two - 15/02/2014)
Ryan Taylor headed in the only goal of this game whilst getting a gash on the head for his troubles. The Dons piled on the pressure late on but Pompey held on for the win which seemed to end any fears of relegation in mid-February...
My Prediction
Wimbledon will score goals in this game but I fancy Pompey to score more in a thrilling game.
Portsmouth 3 AFC Wimbledon 2