Why is Southampton v Portsmouth on Sky Sports+? Kick-off time? Tickets and how to watch south-coast derby
Pompey host Southampton in the latest south-coast derby this Sunday.
Why is Pompey v Southampton on Sky Sports+?
Pompey play host to the latest south-coast derby instalment on Sunday afternoon, with the action set to get underway at 12pm.
The contest was moved after being selected for television coverage by Sky Sports, although supporters unable to get a seat at Fratton Park will have to go searching for the game.
That’s because the fixture will be shown live on Sky Sports+ due to the broadcaster’s decision to televise Manchester City Women’s WSL meeting against London City Lionesses on the Sky Sports Football channel.
Can I get tickets?
Tickets were quickly snapped up by both sets of supporters for the hotly-anticipated derby. The Blues already accompany 15,000 season ticket holders, with limited seats going on general sale.
There were limited tickets made available to Blues fans earlier this week, but they have already sold out.
Southampton were given an allocation of 2,700 in the Milton End, which sold out upon release. The travelling Saints fans will arrive at PO4 by coach, with parts of the surrounding areas shut off.
Will it be on TV and can I stream it?
There is a full round-up of Championship football, which will be shown live throughout the weekend, with the south-coast derby taking centre stage in the second tier on Sunday.
Supporters who were unable to secure tickets for the contest will be able to tune in to Sky Sports+ from 11.55am. There will be no studio guests or analysis, just live commentary when the match gets underway.
To find Sky Sports+, fans can click the red button on Sky Sports football, which will give them a choice of viewing over live fixtures or finding the Sky Sports+ channel.
Alternatively, a NOW TV membership can be purchased, with day passes to stream the match - as well as Sky Sports’ 12 other channels - available for £14.99.
Supporters can also follow every Pompey game live on Pompey+, the club’s official streaming platform.
UK-based fans can purchase an audio match pass for full live commentary. Overseas supporters can buy a video match pass to watch the game live.
Simply visit: www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/videos/subscriptions and select Match Passes - options will automatically appear based on your location.
The News will, as usual, be providing extensive online coverage, with team news, live blog, match report, player ratings as well as player and manager reaction stories.
Team and injury news
Pompey are in the midst of a full-scale injury crisis, with 11 members of Mousinho’s squad missing for Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Watford.
Conor Shaughnessy became the latest figure to join the growing list after reporting a quad issue following the 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.
Franco Umeh (hamstring) and Mark Kosznovszky (knee) have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign, while Thomas Waddingham (quad), Josh Knight (back) and Florian Bianchini (knee) remain long-term absentees.
Hayden Matthews is expected to miss up to 10 weeks of action due to an ankle problem, while Harvey Blair (hip-flexor), Josh Murphy (hamstring) and Callum Lang (hamstring) will also miss out.
New signing Keshi Anderson is also expected to feature following his free-transfer arrival earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Oriol Romeu will be assessed after missing a planned appearance for the Saints U21s last week due to a minor ankle issue. Mads Roerslev could feature after returning to training last week after battling with achilles tendonitis for more than two months.
Referee
The EFL have announced Lewis Smith will be the man in the middle for the first south-coast derby at Fratton Park since 2019. The 31-year-old will be assisted by Alex James, Alistair Nelson and fourth official Andrew Kitchen.
The referee has taken charge of 15 Championship matches this term, which has seen him dish out 55 yellow cards but is yet to brandish a red card to date.