There are less than six days to go until Pompey’s 2025-26 Championship curtain raiser against Oxford United.
The Blues rounded off their preparations for the new campaign with a 1-0 triumph over PEC Zwolle on Saturday afternoon in front of 8,237 supporters at Fratton Park.
Thomas Waddingham was on the scoresheet as John Mousinho’s men maintained their unbeaten pre-season programme, which saw them fail to concede in any of their seven friendlies.
All eyes are now on next weekend’s opening-day contest at the Kassam Stadium, with Pompey looking to get off to a winning start.
Saturday’s fixture against the Eredivisie outfit could be an indication of how the Blues will line-up against the U’s, with Colby Bishop a huge doubt for the opener.
Meanwhile, new signings Mark Kosznovszky, Luke Le Roux and Florian Bianchini face a battle to start as they bed into new life on the south coast.
Here’s what Pompey’s current strongest XI and bench looks like heading into the opening day of the season.
9. RM: Callum Lang
Lang, who had been the subject of unsubstantiated links with Preston North End earlier in the summer, has been impressive since his return from injury. He featured on the right wing once again on Saturday, following up appearances out wide against Reading and Brighton under-21. The 26-year-old will be hoping to stay fit next term and better his 10-goal tally seen last season. | Steve Bailey/ProSportsImages
10. CAM: Adrian Segecic
The new signing has been one of the brightest sparks during the Blues’ warm-up fixtures for the upcoming campaign. The 21-year-old looked bubbly and creative in the number 10 role on Saturday and will be hoping to become a nightmare for Championship defenders in his maiden season in English football. | Simon Roe/ProSportsImages
11. LM: Josh Murphy
Murphy was fantastic throughout the 2024-25 campaign and was the clear winner in the Player of the Season vote. He amassed an outstanding 21 goal contributions in the Championship last term and will look to cause opposition defences problems once again. | Steve Bailey/ProSportsImages
12. ST: Thomas Waddingham
With Bishop a doubt going into the opening-day fixture, Waddingham could be given the nod to lead the line if the Magic Man is unable to feature against the U’s. The Aussie forward will be full of confidence following a successful pre-season on the south coast, where he netted four goals - including Saturday’s last-minute winner. | Steve Bailey/ProSportsImages