Pompey fans will be hoping for a change of fortune and a good performance when promotion chasing Notts County come to Fratton Park tomorrow.
Team News
James Keene may well make his second debut for Pompey after signing from Elfsborg whilst Gabor Gyepes and Ricardo Rocha return from injury.
Jon Harley could make one final appearance for the club before his contract is cancelled but it's unlikely that Lee Williamson and Mustapha Dumbuya will feature. Brian Howard will certainly miss out with a groin injury.
Andre Boucaud has been signed up by Keith Curle permanently and is likely to keep his place in County's starting eleven. Lee Hughes has left the club whilst Damion Stewart is suspended.
The Match
This game has a bit more interest than it deserves simply because we have no idea what teamare going to take to the pitch tomorrow afternoon.
With League One survival almost impossible, will Guy Whittingham and Andy Awford pick the kids and blood them into the team or will the more experienced players be selected because the belief of an extremely unlikely great escape from relegation remains.
It's likely it will be the latter simply because the management will want this dismal run of results to end. Failure to win tomorrow will extend that run to 15 games whilst another defeat will mark five in a row.
If there is any hope for Pompey to win this match then they might take advantage of some discontent at Meadow Lane. County are winless in six games and the Magpies fans are complaining about the management, with chairman Ray Trew stating that he cannot pump any more money into the club whilst attendances continue to disappoint him.
Even with that, their situation is still far better than ours and given how easily a so-called stronger Pompey fell in the FA Cup earlier in the season after the thrashing at Meadow Lane, the smart money is on that winless run being extended.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Pompey
GK: Simon EASTWOOD
RB: Adam WEBSTER
CB: Ricardo ROCHA
CB: Gabor GYEPES
LB: Jon HARLEY
RM: Ashley HARRIS
CM: Darel RUSSELL
CM: Johnny ERTL
LM: Liam WALKER
CF: David CONNOLLY
CF: James KEENE
Notts County
GK: Bartosz BIALKOWSKI
RB: Julian KELLY
CB: Manny SMITH
CB: Gary LIDDLE
LB: Jordan STEWART
RM: Jamal CAMPBELL-RYCE
CM: Neal BISHOP
CM: Andre BOUCAUD
LM: Alan JUDGE
CF: Yoann ARQUIN
CF: Francois ZOKO
Last Time: Portsmouth 0 Notts County 2 (FA Cup First Round - 03/11/2012)
Zoko and Arquin were on the scoresheet in this desperately poor performance from Michael Appleton's men in which Scott Allan was sent off and Ashley Westwood sent to the stands for punching Campbell-Ryce.
My Prediction
Having seen County beat us easily twice already this season I can't help but think that they will make it a hat-trick of victories whilst extending their own unbeaten record on the road to 23 games.
Portsmouth 1 Notts County 2
Source: Fratton Faithful
Source: FOOTYMAD
