Two teams looking to avoid an immediate return to League One will lock horns when Portsmouth welcome Derby County to Fratton Park for Saturday’s Championship contest.
The Rams are sitting just outside the bottom three on goal difference, while Pompey are three points better off in 17th position.
Match preview
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Pompey will be frustrated by the fact they are still battling for their survival after they moved 10 points clear of the drop zone with last month’s Leeds United.
However, they have seen that buffer cut to three points after losing four of their previous five matches, including consecutive away defeats against Millwall and Coventry City.
They conceded in the 87th minute to lose 2-1 in Saturday’s meeting with the Lions, before they shipped another late goal in Wednesday’s trip to the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Coventry substitute Jamie Paterson netted a 94th-minute winner to condemn Pompey to a narrow 1-0 loss and their 11th defeat in the last 12 Championship away matches, highlighting one of the main reasons as to why they are still battling to avoid relegation.
With the joint second-worst away record in the division, Pompey will be looking forward to returning to Fratton Park, where they have won four of their previous five matches, including a narrow 1-0 win in their most recent home outing against Blackburn Rovers.
However, they may be concerned by the fact they have not won any of their previous nine league games against Derby (D5, L4) since recording a 3-1 victory in a Premier League encounter in January 2008.
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After opting to leave Blackburn for Derby, John Eustace lost his first three matches without troubling the scorers, before his team clicked into gear with four consecutive victories to give their survival fight some much-needed impetus.
Their winning run was brought to an end with a narrow 1-0 defeat against Swansea City last Saturday, but they produced a determined response to hold promotion-chasing Burnley to a goalless draw in Tuesday’s home clash.
That result keeps them just outside the drop zone on goal difference ahead of their final five matches against Portsmouth, Luton Town, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City and Stoke City.
Three of those matches will take place away from Pride Park, which may be a cause for concern due to the fact they have lost seven of their previous nine away matches (W1, D1), while they have failed to score in three of their last four road trips.
The Rams have at least managed to avoid defeat in each of their last four away league meetings with Portsmouth (W1, D3).
Derby eased to a 4-0 victory when the two teams last met in December’s clash at Pride Park, while Eustace has already got the better of Pompey in 2025, after his Blackburn side clinched a 3-0 home victory in January.
Team News
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Portsmouth remain without the services of Jacob Farrell, Ibane Bowat, Hayden Matthews, Conor Shaughnessy, Paddy Lane and Callum Lang.
Alexander Milosevic, who joined on a short-term deal last month, is set to undergo a scan after being left out of Tuesday’s squad with a calf injury he picked up in training.
Bristol City loanee Rob Atkinson is closing in on a return to action, but while he could make the matchday squad, he is unlikely to be ready to start Saturday’s fixture.
As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon Curtis Nelson, David Ozoh, Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, Ben Osborn, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Dajaune Brown and Kemar Roofe.
Having sat out the last two matches with a knock, Callum Elder is facing a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of the weekend.
Sondre Langas will have to be assessed by Derby’s medical staff, with the defender currently playing through a knee injury, which will require an operation at the end of the season.
Portsmouth possible starting lineup:
Schmid; Devlin, Poole, Ogilvie, Bramall; Potts, Dozzell; Ritchie, Aouchiche, Murphy; Bishop
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Widell Zetterstrom; Langas, Phillips, Clarke; Wilson, Thompson, Armstrong, Adams, Forsyth; Yates, Harness
We say: Portsmouth 1-1 Derby County
Portsmouth and Derby will both be desperate to avoid defeat against their relegation rivals, and with that in mind, we think Saturday’s contest will be a cagey affair and could ultimately result in the spoils being shared between the two sides.
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