Hopefully Pompey fans will "pack the park" and get behind the players who have made a sacrifice for the club tomorrow as Leeds come to Fratton Park.
Team News
Scott Allen may make his debut as Erik Huseklepp's replacement whilst Pompey's injury crisis has eased slightly with David Norris and Greg Halford in line to return to the side. Dave Kitson is banned after his red card at Barnsley last week.
Neil Warnock will pick his first Leeds team tomorrow having taken over from the sacked Simon Grayson. Winger Robbie Rogers is out but defenders Paul Connolly and Leigh Bromby and forwards Ramon Nunez and Billy Paynter could make a return.
The Match
Everybody knows the situation now. Portsmouth's only guaranteed income is whatever money the club takes from ticket sales with no certainty that it will even survive until the end of the season.
So, if you haven't bought a ticket yet and you have a spare £25 then please come to Fratton Park and watch the players who have been doing their part to save YOUR club.
And if you have got some disposable income, why not buy a programme on matchday and pay a visit to the club shop? Every little will help Pompey's attempt to get out of this truly dire situation.
Even the ultimate cynic will have to give much credit to the players for deferring their wages until the end of the season and completely writing off their January pay packet.
I'm sure they will reproduce that same commitment on the pitch but will face a tough test against a good Leeds side who will surely be galvanised by the arrival of Neil Warnock.
There might be a possibility that the timing of this game couldn't be any worse with the arrival of their new manager on top of all of our problems. On the other hand, the siege mentality created at the club by fans, players and Appleton himself might see us through a tough game.
Whatever happens, the result doesn't really matter. Yes, we may lose and that may see Pompey eventually relegated to League One. However, the remainder of the season should simply be about coming to Fratton Park, helping keep the club alive and enjoying the football.
After all, if the fans don't turn up then there may be no more Portsmouth Football Club to support at all.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Stephen HENDERSON
RB: Tal BEN-HAIM
CB: Jason PEARCE
CB: Ricardo ROCHA
LB: Greg HALFORD
RM: Joel WARD
CM: Hayden MULLINS
CM: George THORNE
LM: Scott ALLAN
SS: David NORRIS
CF: Marko FUTACS
Leeds
GK: Andy LONERGAN
RB: Leigh BROMBY
CB: Tom LEES
CB: Alex BRUCE
LB: Danny PUGH
RM: Lloyd SAM
CM: Michael BROWN
CM: Adam CLAYTON
LM: Aidan WHITE
SS: Robert SNODGRASS
CF: Luciano BECCHIO
Last Time: Portsmouth 2 Leeds United 2 (Championship - 22/01/2011)
Joel Ward gave Pompey the lead with a sweet 25-yard strike before Leeds equalised just after half time when Luciano Becchio tapped in Jonny Howson's square ball from a free kick.
The home side retook the lead when John Utaka shrugged off a Leeds defender to slot past Kasper Schmeichel but again Leeds hit back through Davide Somma's goal.
Both sides pushed for an equaliser but were disrupted by two floodlight failures. Fans joked that the club hadn't paid the bills but who knows? Perhaps that might be for real tomorrow!
My Prediction
I've not been too impressed by our last two performances that have seen the team create very little. With this in mind and Warnock looking to make an impact I can only see Leeds winning this game.
But tomorrow isn't about that, it's about doing whatever you can to support the club when it really needs it. Who knows? A packed Fratton Park may just inspire the team to victory.
Portsmouth 0 Leeds United 2
Source: FOOTYMAD
