Portsmouthvs.Leeds

Meanwhile, Pompey will be hoping to return to winning ways after suffering a narrow defeat in their recent away clash against Luton Town.

Match preview

Prior to their defeat to Luton, Portsmouth put together a three-game winning run to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone.

Pompey recorded a 2-1 home victory against Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers, either side of a 2-0 away win against Oxford United, before they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road following a first-half effort from Luton midfielder Jordan Clark.

Despite being edged out by the Hatters, 17th-placed Pompey are still in a strong position to avoid an immediate return to the third tier, with eight points separating them from the bottom three ahead of the weekend.

They will be looking forward to returning to the familiar surroundings of Fratton Park, especially as they have won eight, drawn two and lost just one of their previous 11 home matches.

Portsmouth have scored two at least two goals in eight of those 11 home encounters, while they have conceded no more than one goal in any of those matches.

Pompey may be winless in their last five meetings with Leeds, but they can take confidence from the fact they have avoided defeat in each of their previous five home league games against the Yorkshire club (W2, D4).

Leeds are leading the race to secure promotion to the Premier League after winning 22, drawing 10 and losing just three of their 35 league games this season.

They have put together a 17-game unbeaten league run (W12, D5) to establish a three-point lead over second-placed Sheffield United and a five-point buffer to Burnley in third position.

Daniel Farke's side enjoyed a run of five consecutive league victories, before they had to settle for a point in last Saturday's home clash against West Bromwich Albion after Junior Firpo saw his opener cancelled out by Darnell Furlong.

That result represented just the fourth time that Leeds have dropped points at Elland Road this season, with one of those matches taking place in the reverse fixture with Portsmouth, which saw the two sides play out a 3-3 draw on the opening day of the season.

The Championship leaders will head to the South Coast the division's top scorers with 72 goals to their name, and they will hope that firepower will prove too strong for a Portsmouth side that have the second-worst defensive record in the second tier.

If they are to claim a fourth consecutive away win, Leeds will have to beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park for the first time since recording a 3-2 victory in April 1986.

Portsmouth Championship form:

D

L

W

W

W

L

Leeds United Championship form:

W

W

W

W

W

D

Leeds United form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

W

D

Team News

Hayden Matthews is the latest Pompey player to be ruled out for the rest of the season, joining Callum Lang, Paddy Lane, Ibane Bowat and Jacob Farrell.

Bristol City loanee Rob Atkinson is set to miss six to eight weeks of action with a calf injury, while the hosts are also without the services of Jordan Williams and Conor Shaughnessy.

Thomas Waddingham, who joined Portsmouth from Brisbane Roar in January, could feature among the substitutes after making good progress in his recovery from a minor groin strain.

Pompey boss John Mousinho could be tempted to make a couple of changes to his side, with Freddie Potts and Kaide Gordon among those who could be considered for a starting spot.

As for the league leaders, Ethan Ampadu and Max Wober remain sidelined with knee injuries, while Patrick Bamford is unavailable for selection due to a calf issue.

Forward Mateo Joseph will have to be assessed after picking up an ankle problem in his substitute appearance against West Brom.

Farke will have to decide whether to stick with Joe Rothwell as Ao Tanaka's central midfield partner or offer a recall to 24-year-old Ilia Gruev.

The Championship's joint top scorer Joel Piroe will be looking to add to his 15-goal league tally when he leads the line against the South Coast side.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Swanson, Pack, Poole, Ogilvie; Hayden, Potts; Gordon, Aouchiche, Murphy; Bishop

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo; Rothwell, Tanaka; James, Aaronson, Solomon; Piroe

We say: Portsmouth 1-3 Leeds United

Written by

Ben Sully

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