Portsmouth: John Mousinho's 'massive' Bolton Wanderers prediction ahead of promotion clash
Portsmouth can win promotion to the Championship with a win over Bolton Wanderers at the weekend.
Pompey head coach John Mousinho says he and his side are just focusing on getting promoted against Bolton Wanderers rather than winning the League One title.
A win on Saturday at the Toughsheet Community Stadium would ensure Championship football next season. If Derby County drop points against EFL Trophy runners-up Wycombe Wanderers though then Pompey could be celebrating both promotion and a league title win.
More than 2,600 fans will descend to Greater Manchester at the weekend with the hope of seeing their side claim promotion. Bolton have sold more than 22,500 tickets for the match and the bumper crowd will add the ingredients to what is already a huge game.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, he said: “We've got a really tough test on our hands because Bolton are thinking about exactly the same thing.
“I think it's going to be a great occasion for both sets of fans to welcome the first and the third placed teams in the league to a massive stadium on a massive occasion. The most important thing for us is to keep focused and try to finish the job.”
Bolton will provide Portsmouth with a stern test after winning three of their last five games. They've drawn once and won their last two against Reading and Bolton Wanderers with their only blemish being a 1-0 defeat to Derby.
Pompey won the reverse fixture back in December. Conor Shaughnessy and Kusini Yengi were on target to make for a six-point gap with 20 games played. Bolton and Derby are vying for the second automatic promotion spot and it’s relatively close between the two.
Bolton are the top scorers of the division with 78 goals this term and this season. Their top scorer is Dion Charles who has netted 16 goals in 35 matches, averaging a goal every 57 minutes.
Asked if this is as tough a test as they will face, Mousinho responded: “I think so. They've been in fantastic form all season.
“They're a side that improved year-on-year when they have been in this league. They're on a decent run of form at the moment. They've got threats all over the pitch and they've scored a lot of goals this year.
“They're very well coached and it's always going to be a difficult game when you go up to Bolton particularly in these circumstances When Bolton are playing for promotion themselves. We expect a really tough test and a really good game of football.”