Team News
Liam Lawrence missed Saturday's match with a hamstring strain after recovering from a knee injury and will be assessed ahead of tomorrow's game.
Ricardo Rocha returns from suspension and Steve Cotterill may also be tempted to give some of the fringe players a chance with Carl Dickinson and Kanu looking to stake their claim for a start.
Coventry youngster Jordan Yorke faces a fitness test ahead of the game but Lee Carsley, James McPake, Richard Wood and Ben Turner are all out. Martin Cranie is set to line up against his former employers.
The Match
Now that our future in the Championship is a certainity, I would hope that Steve Cotterill will ask his team to play a more expansive and entertaining game like they did in the earlier parts of the season when going to Fratton Park seemed less of a chore.
Fans have rightfully been complaining that they haven't been getting value for money despite a seven game unbeaten run at home. With many fans still undecided whether to renew their season ticket for next year, a good performance might help persuade them to commit.
Managerless Coventry are virtually safe from the drop with little to play for in truth so there is a distinct possibility that tomorrow's match may go stale quickly.
So it's up to Steve Cotterill to ensure that the home fans are entertained. How about playing a more attacking formation such as a basic 4-4-2 so Kitson finally has a strike partner?
Most of all, can we please see less of the turgid hoofball that is not only ugly to watch but also pretty ineffective too? We have good players that are capable of playing the ball along the ground so why not play that way as a team?
At least with Rocha back in the side the team may be encouraged to keep the ball on the floor. He may have only been missing for one game but he was sorely missed on Saturday as Aaron Mokoena didn't cover himself in glory as his replacement.
The Sky Blues are improving under Andy Thorn and Steve Harrison's temporary leadership since Aidy Boothroyd was sacked and the long ball philosophy was banished.
So, who knows? Perhaps we might see a good game of football after all?
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Jamie ASHDOWN
RB: Ritchie DE LAET
CB: Greg HALFORD
CB: Ricardo ROCHA
LB: Hermann HREIDARSSON
DM: Hayden MULLINS
DM: Jonathan HOGG
RM: David COTTERILL
CM: Joel WARD
LM: David NUGENT
CF: Dave KITSON
Coventry
GK: Keiren WESTWOOD
RB: Richard KEOGH
CB: Martin CRANIE
CB: Nathan CAMERON
LB: Chris HUSSEY
CM: David BELL
CM: Sammy CLINGAN
CM: Gary McSHEFFREY
RWF: Freddy EASTWOOD
LWF: Lukas JUTKIEWICZ
CF: Marlon KING
Last Time: Portsmouth 1 Coventry City 1 (FA Cup Third Round - 02/01/2010)
It's now exactly a year since Pompey defeated Tottenham at Wembley to get to the 2010 FA Cup Final but the journey started with a 1-1 draw with the Sky Blues.
David Bell had given the visitors the lead with a thunderous strike but the hosts equalised right before the break after Kevin-Prince Boateng headed in Richard Hughes' cross.
My Prediction
I have a feeling that this is going to be even worse than the Preston match. I really hope that Cotterill tells his team to go and enjoy themselves but unfortunately I expect more aimless hoofball and a match low on quality that ultimately ends in a draw.
Portsmouth 1 Coventry City 1