Foxes fan Joe Brewin has kindly answered the questions I put to him before the second of Pompey's clashes with
For Pompey fans this fixture carries a bit of spice given past encounters. Do
For me personally it is more towards being just another game, but I fondly remember the battles in the early noughties when we were both battling for promotion and subsequently survival. Mainly because we did well against you back then, which always helps.
Looking through the club forums there's little mention of previous encounters so far, but I'm sure many of the older heads in the support remember the 1993 play-off tussle well.
What do
It's a bit of a mixed bag really, but the fact of the matter is that we are in a much better position now than when he came in. Getting relegated to League One in his first season made him far from popular in our eyes after several questionable decisions in a season where he had three permanent managers. Sadly, each was worst than the last.
From then on though he's began to get it right. Hiring Pearson was a master-stroke, and his backing to get us back up to the Championship with a much better team will always sit well with us. The manner of Pearson's eventual departure still leaves a sour taste, but it seems as though Mandaric didn't really have much choice to let him go without putting his takeover in serious doubt.
All in all, some still remain sceptical and some see him as some sort of hero. At the end of the day he got our club on the cheap (which still people don't understand) and he hasn't lost money from it. He's a businessman, not a man who loves the club. But we've been better off with him it seems, which is all that matters.
After a strong previous season,
It's a bit of a puzzler. We have had some dreadful luck this season which hasn't helped, but it's also going to take time to adapt to a new manager. Whereas last season we were winning tight encounters, this campaign it seems we're ending up on the losing side more often than not.
On the pitch it's been converting our chances. I believe we have still had the most efforts on goal this season, with over 60 in the last three games alone. And in those three games we've found the net just three times. I have just seen that you are the only side with a worse attempts-to-goals ratio than us this season though, so it looks like we're both in the same dismal boat.
We'll get there eventually I think because there have been a lot of encouraging signs, but it's been frustrating.
Do you think Paulo Sousa was the right man to replace Nigel Pearson?
At the time it was a case of 'wait and see' after his dry football at
How many changes will Sousa make to the side that won on Tuesday?
Always difficult to tell, but anything up to six or seven perhaps. In goal Chris Weale will return if fit, while Robbie Neilson and Bruno Berner may come in for Lamey and Kennedy respectively. Jack Hobbs would seem nailed on for the league match in place of either Morrison or Vitor.
In midfield our Japanese midfielder Yuki Abe may keep his place ahead of Richie Wellens or Matt Oakley, but really only Andy King is a guaranteed starter in the midfielder three in all honesty. Up front I expect to see Steve Howard and Lloyd Dyer keep their places, leaving Martyn Waghorn, Paul Gallagher and Matty Fryatt to battle for the final spot.
Who are the key players in your side?
Andy King has proved himself to be one of the best attacking midfielders in the division, and you can tell Sousa is a huge admirer. After breaking through our youth academy he's well-loved by our supporters, and keeping hold of him over the next couple of years may prove increasingly difficult. Sousa has come out today and applauded his credentials as a future captain, and long may that continue.
Elsewhere Jack Hobbs has been colossal at the back for the best part of two seasons now, and he will no doubt be a cracking player for us in the years to come.
What are the main weaknesses of your team?
This season it's in attack. While Lloyd Dyer has been a breath of fresh air, the others around him have not.
Matty Fryatt is looking a shadow of the player he was in previous years which is slightly worrying, while playing in a front three on the wing is not suiting Martyn Waghorn, who really is a superb player. We have the players in those positions, but sadly they're just not performing to the best of their abilities just yet.
Leicester have already beaten Pompey once this season, are you expecting a second win in a week given Pompey's recent woes and awful record against your team?
I am. It seems as though it's the best time to be playing you given the current issues at the club, but from what I've heard you've also not had the rub of the green yourselves.
I'd be disappointed if we didn't kick on to get all three points after our terrible start, and I have got confidence in our boys to do what's necessary. We'll have a stronger team out than Tuesday, and hopefully that should give us enough edge to get the win.
Predict the result.