Pompey take on struggling Hartlepool at Fratton Park tomorrow looking to close the gap on the three clubs currently occupying the automatic promotion places in League Two.
Team News
Caolan Lavery is expected to return to the Pompey line-up after sitting out the FA Cup win over Accrington whilst Gary Roberts is close to returning to fitness.
Kal Naismith will miss tomorrow's match as he cannot play against his parent club whilst defender Harry Worley and striker Billy Paynter are injured.
The Match
Having beaten Accrington Stanley last weekend and having come back from two goals down to rescue a draw at Wycombe the week previous, Pompey will be well fancied to put a Hartlepool side that has won just one of its last ten league games to the sword.
Ronnie Moore's men could only earn a draw with Salford in the FA Cup last week too and you'll know what to expect with his team as his sides are always physical and can be difficult to break down, which doesn't bode well for Paul Cook's team given how they've struggled to score against these types of teams.
Whilst Naismith can't play against his parent club, Trevor Carson returns to Fratton Park with Hartlepool and on his day we all know he can be a "superkeeper" so he will ultimately be one to watch.
However, with Marc McNulty in the side able to create and convert chances there seems to be a new dynamic in this current Pompey side and Lavery's return is only going to bolster that further. There should be no reason why Portsmouth fans can't be confident of a victory tomorrow.
And a win will certainly be required to close the gap on Oxford, Northampton and Plymouth who are all currently sitting in the top three, six points ahead of Pompey. Three points will certainly help going into two tough away matches at Sixfields and Brisbane Road as the festive period heats up.
Still, there's a job to be done against the Pools and hopefully Jeff Stelling won't be a happy bunny at around 5:45pm tomorrow.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Brian MURPHY
RB: Ben DAVIES
CB: Christian BURGESS
CB: Adam WEBSTER
LB: Enda STEVENS
DM: Michael DOYLE
DM: Danny HOLLANDS
RM: Adam McGURK
AM: Marc McNULTY
LM: Kyle BENNETT
CF: Caolan LAVERY
Hartlepool
GK: Trevor CARSON
RB: Michael DUCKWORTH
CB: Scott HARRISON
CB: Matthew BATES
LB: Jake CARROLL
RM: Rhys OATES
CM: Jake GREY
CM: Carl MAGNAY
LM: Kudus OYENUGA
CF: Mikael MANDRON
CF: Rakish BINGHAM
Last Time: Portsmouth 1 Hartlepool United 0 (League Two - 07/02/2015)
A single Matt Tubbs goal in the second half of this tense encouter was enough to win this crucial relegation six-pointer and earn Andy Awford a stay of execution.
My Prediction
A stout Hartlepool might take some time to break down, especially with Carson eager to impress, but I feel once Pompey get one then the floodgates may open.
Portsmouth 3 Hartlepool United 0