Pompey take on Mansfield looking for a vital win to take them away from the bottom of League Two.
Team News
Jake Jervis received his international clearance today and is likely to go straight into the starting eleven tomorrow. Wes Fogden is also set to make his Pompey debut having signed during the week whilst Andy Barcham and Ricky Holmes may also return.
Mansfield midfielder Jamie McGuire may make his first appearance since December 29th having recovered from a groin injury whilst Martin Riley returns from a leg injury. However, top scorer Sam Clucas and Ben Hutchinson will be miss out.
The Match
Results went against Pompey last weekend and the club now finds itself just a point above the relegation zone going into this game. A win over the Stags would see Richie Barker's men leap them in the table and now could be a good time to play them.
Mansfield fans are worried about off-field problems with former directors taking legal action over current owner John Radford who is reported to owe the pair just under £1,000,000 which is adding to a rapidly growing debt.
Mansfield are also without Sam Clucas who has been one of their standout players this season, having scored eleven goals and also Ben Hutchinson who scored a screamer against Pompey in the reverse fixture back in August.
Meanwhile, Jervis should replace Ryan Taylor who didn't have the best debut and fans will be looking forward to seeing what Fogden brings to the team.
It will be interesting to see how Barker approaches this game because although the result at Oxford was a good one, there is no way the Pompey fans will accept their team sitting back and settling for a clean sheet without taking a meaningful shot on goal.
Whilst Pompey have looked far better at the back the goals have dried up and so hopefully Jervis can return to the side with a bang and if Holmes could return in favour of Jed Wallace who is playing like someone who knows he is leaving, then that would also be a bonus.
It should be a tight affair and much will depend on how Pompey's improved defence deals with Mansfield's long ball tactics which worked so effectively at Field Mill but there has to be some attacking intent from Pompey so it's about time someone stepped up to the plate.
Defeat is simply unthinkable at this stage of the season.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Trevor CARSON
RB: Daniel ALFEI
CB: Sonny BRADLEY
CB: Joe DEVERA
LB: Marcos PAINTER
CM: Nicky SHOREY
CM: Simon FERRY
CM: Wes FOGDEN
RWF: Patrick AGYEMANG
LWF: Jed WALLACE
CF: Jake JERVIS
Mansfield
GK: Alan MARRIOTT
RB: Ritchie SUTTON
CB: John DEMPSTER
CB: Martin RILEY
LB: Ryan TAFAZOLLI
RM: Chris CLEMENTS
CM: Lee STEVENSON
CM: Jamie McGUIRE
LM: James JENNINGS
CF: Matt RHEAD
CF: Ollie PALMER
Last Time: Portsmouth 2 Mansfield Town 2 (Division Three - 18/01/1977)
Pompey's match with the Stags tomorrow will be exactly 37 years after the only other time the two teams have played against each other at Fratton Park, with Dave Kemp scoring both goals for a Portsmouth side managed by Ian St. John.
My Prediction
Whilst it's imperative that Pompey do not lose this match, they also have to win some games to stay in the division and so long as the defence stay as strong as they have been recently then the new additions should hopefully swing a tense game in our favour.
Portsmouth 1 Mansfield Town 0