There is less than a month to go until Pompey’s opening game of the 2025-26 Championship campaign against Oxford United.
With the clock ticking down to the curtain raiser at the Kassam Stadium on August 9, the Blues’ preparations for the new season are set to ramp up this week.
Following their week-long training camp in Slovakia, John Mousinho’s men play their first pre-season friendly on Tuesday evening against Woking before facing Farnborough 24 hours later.
That will provide plenty of valuable minutes for the squad, with the likes of Hayden Matthews, Jacob Farrell, Jordan Williams and Paddy Lane all returning from injury.
It will also be the first opportunity to catch new signing Adrian Segecic in action following his arrival from Sydney FC. Meanwhile, John Swift is set to be announced as the Blues’ second summer signing, with a move imminent.
With under four weeks to go until the new season gets underway, we’ve put together what Pompey’s best starting XI and bench could look like.
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13. SUB 1: Jordan Archer
Schmid’s excellent form keeps Archer on the bench. | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
14. SUB 2: Zak Swanson
Will be looking to remain fit to provide tough competition with Williams at right-back. Photo: Jason Brown
15. SUB 3: Jacob Farrell
The Aussie is back in training and will be hoping to make a long-awaited return after knee injuries. | Habibur Rahman
16. SUB 4: Hayden Matthews
Matthews is another to return to pre-season training after missing the end of last term with injury. It remains to be seen which centre-back pairing Mousinho will lean towards going into the new campaign. Photo: Jason Brown