Pompey hope to continue their winning run as they travel to the capital to face Charlton Athletic at The Valley in their latest EFL League One clash.
The Blues have won their last four matches and hold a six-point lead over Derby County and Bolton Wanderers who are both on 66 points. Portsmouth have played a game more than them and will hope that next Tuesday (February 27) that there is a slip-up at least from the Rams and the Trotters when they play Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic respectively.
Portsmouth's unbeaten run comes on the backdrop of a month which has seen their squad decimated through injuries. Several players have had their campaigns ended through various issues. The good news is that several men are closing in on a return to action and whilst Charlton may come too soon, they could come back in the coming weeks and contribute in the vital weeks of the campaign.
The visitors to the Valley will be backed by more than 3,000 fans with 3,100 tickets snapped up. Portsmouth's record at the home of Charlton isn't the greatest and they are without a victory there in their last four meetings. The reverse fixture at Fratton Park back in November saw the two sides play to a 2-2 draw. Alfie May cancelled out Abu Kamara's opener and then Colby Bishop restored the lead but in the third stoppage time Conor McGrandles equalised.
Earlier this week, John Mousinho admitted he could venture in to the free agent market amidst the ongoing crisis that has nine players ruled out through injury. Here's the latest injury and team news ahead of kick-off at Fratton Park.
1. Myles Peart-Harris - available (continued)
John Mousinho said: "Myles should be back with us on Friday. He was out on the grass with (head of medical) Steve (Hard) yesterday. ‘He’s a possibility to come back into the side at the weekend, I think he’s definitely going to be fit and available for selection." | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
2. Myles Peart-Harris - available
Didn't play against Reading last weekend. Missed the game with a thigh issue but could return this weekend. | Pro Sport Images
3. Ben Stevenson - out
A knee injury has had fringe midfielder Stevenson sidelined for the last few months. He's not yet in contention to return to the side. Photo: Jason Brown
4. Ben Stevenson - out (continued)
John Mousinho said: "Ben is still about three or four weeks off. ‘It’s one of those where Ben has decided to go through a course of injections to try to speed things up, but it hasn’t sped things up as much as we would’ve liked. ‘There’s absolutely nothing lost in that, we just decided we wanted to be a bit more aggressive with that. ‘There’s no issue, though, no setback, it just hasn’t accelerated as much as we’d like. ‘So Ben is still a bit of time away. We have to make sure when Ben is back he comes back fully fit." | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages