The Blues will be incredibly backed by 3,500 members of the Fratton faithful, who will set the alarms early on Saturday morning ahead of a near 525-mile round trip to Deepdale.
John Mousinho’s men will be looking to rekindle the performance seen against Leeds last weekend after a disappointing defeat to bottom-of-the-table Plymouth in midweek.
The Blues have won just two games away from Fratton Park this term but will be looking to increase the gap to the relegation zone as the race for survival heats up.
Pompey currently sit seven points above the relegation zone ahead of the trip to Lancashire but could rise as high as 14th in the standings with a win against the Lilywhites. In fact, three points could see Mousinho’s troops move above the hosts, who are unbeaten in their last 14 games in all competitions on home soil.
Ahead of this afternoon’s game, we’ve taken a look at the current injury situations of both sides.
5. Milutin Osmajic - doubt
‘Hopefully, yes’ was Heckingbottom’s response when asked whether the striker will return to the side to face Pompey. Osmajic has missed the Lilywhites’ last two league games due to an ongoing hip issue. | Getty Images
6. Jordan Storey - doubt
The centre-back returned to full training on Thursday having been out since late January with an ankle injury. After missing North End’s previous nine games, Storey could make his first appearance back from injury against Pompey this afternoon. | Getty Images
7. Ibane Bowat - out
The centre-back hasn’t made a single appearance for Pompey this season following his switch from Fulham last summer. He was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to a knee injury. | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
8. Jacob Farrell - out
The left-back is another member of Mousinho's squad to be ruled out for the rest of the term due to injury. Farrell has featured just once for the Blues since his arrival at Fratton Park last summer due to a knee injury. Photo: Steven Paston