513 minutes without a goal and struggling for form - why it's odds on for Lincoln revenge act at hands of yet another ex-Portsmouth man

And, unsurprisingly, John Marquis is priced at 3/1 to net during this afternoon’s Fratton Park return.

This season has seen Conor Chaplin (Ipswich) and Michael Smith (Rotherham) both register against the Blues.

In the case of Smith, he was kept quiet on Tuesday night as Danny Cowley’s men claimed a 3-0 success.

Nonetheless, he netted in the reverse fixture at the home of the Millers in October as they crushed the Blues 4-1.

As it stands, bet365 have odds of 9/1 on Marquis being either the first or last scorer in Lincoln’s visit to Fratton Park (3pm).

However, he is priced at 3/1 to score anytime over the match’s duration – which is precisely the fear many of the Fratton faithful hold.

There was an initial flurry of goals at Sincil Bank upon Marquis’ January arrival, registering in three successive games.

Although since he has mustered two in his next 14 outings – and both of those came in the same match against Sheffield Wednesday.

Indeed, the 29-year-old was on the bench for Lincoln’s 3-1 home defeat to Wigan last weekend, taking his tally to 513 minutes without a goal.

Regardless, he will be venturing to the south coast with a point to prove to Cowley as well as those who doubted his ability during Pompey days.

The criticism was warranted, however, with 11 goals in his last 55 appearances for the Blues, including four this season.

Overall, there were 38 goals in 127 outings, while last season he ended up as 18-goal top scorer as Pompey finished eighth in League One.

Still, his performances were consistently underwhelming during two-and-a-half years, representing a disappointing stay following a £1m move from Doncaster.

And so, he returns to Pompey off the back of eight matches without a goal and an uncertain future, with his Imps short-term deal expiring in the summer.

Throw into the mix that Michael Appleton’s men have claimed three wins from their last 13 fixtures in all competitions, and there’s a reason to be nervous.

And at odds of 3-1, surely few would bet against Marquis registering this afternoon.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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