Pompey will look to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes of automatic promotion alive when they host struggling Notts County at Fratton Park on Good Friday.
Team News
Paul Jones is set to start after his recall from Crawley as Ryan Fulton will miss the Easter games due to international duty as will new loan signing Conor Wilkinson. Gary Roberts is available again after suspension.
Izale McLeod is likely to play against his former club as new manager Mark Cooper looks to ring the changes to end County's poor run of form.
The Match
Before Saturday evening, this fixture looked like the perfect game for Pompey to get their promotion bid back on track after an underwhelming draw at Mansfield. However, this game just got tougher after the dismissal of County's unpopular manager in Jamie Fullarton.
The Magpies come into this game having taken just a single point from the last 18 available, and that was thanks to a goalless draw with bottom club Dagenham. But County have a better squad than their league position suggests and their fans are clearly more positive about the future with a new manager in charge who likes to see his side play expansive football.
Paul Cook obviously likes his teams to play attacking football too but that simply hasn't happened in the last two games and he seems to be struggling to discover why that is. He has hinted that the players' attitudes haven't been good enough and the last two performances would reflect that but it's up to him to get them motivated for what won't be an easy match on Friday.
Gary Roberts is expected to return to the side, probably in place of Michael Smith who hasn't done enough to keep his place. Now would also be the perfect time to give Conor Chaplin a start as his energy could rejuvenate a side that is beginning to look stale and predictable going forward.
At least a team like County will always give you chances to score. On the other hand, you can say what you like about Izale McLeod but he is a goalscorer and will happily take advantage of any characteristically lapses of concentration in the Pompey defence. Hopefully Paul Jones can continue his good form that saw him keep a few clean sheets whilst at Crawley.
As long as the job is done in any kind of manner, that is all that matters as Pompey simply cannot afford to make any more mistakes if the ending to this season is to be a happy one.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Paul JONES
RB: Ben DAVIES
CB: Christian BURGESS
CB: Adam WEBSTER
LB: Enda STEVENS
DM: Michael DOYLE
DM: Danny HOLLANDS
RM: Gareth EVANS
AM: Gary ROBERTS
LM: Kyle BENNETT
CF: Marc McNULTY
Notts County
GK: Scott LOACH
RB: Elliott HEWITT
CB: Andrew BOYCE
CB: Haydn HOLLIS
LB: Rob MILSOM
CM: Curtis THOMPSON
CM: Stanley ABORAH
CM: Liam NOBLE
AM: Graham BURKE
CF: Jon STEAD
CF: Izale McLEOD
Last Time: Portsmouth 0 Notts County 2 (League One - 29/01/2013)
Struggling Pompey held out against County for 80 minutes but late goals from Jeff Hughes and Francois Zoko saw Guy Whittingham's men fall to another defeat. Notts' Neal Bishop was sent off for violent conduct at the end of the game but the damage had already been done.
My Prediction
Who knows what will happen? Which Pompey will turn up and how much effect will Mark Cooper have on his new team? This could be anything so the safest bet is a draw.
Portsmouth 1 Notts County 1