Preview: Portsmouth vs. Charlton Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

While the hosts are currently leading the way in the third tier, the Addicks head into the weekend in 11th place after collecting 21 points from 15 games.

Match preview

Having won ten and drawn five of their 15 league games, Portsmouth are currently sitting at the very top of the League One table with a three-point cushion over Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers, who occupy second and third place respectively.

After coming from behind to beat Reading 3-2 in their most recent league outing, Pompey have turned their attention to cup competitons for their last two matches.

John Mousinho's side suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to National League side Chesterfield in the first round of the FA Cup, before they bounced back with a midweek EFL Trophy win over Leyton Orient.

Despite seeing Sean Raggett sent off in the 20th minute, Pompey managed to book their place in the knockout stage with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Christian Saydee and Abou Kamara.

They will now turn their attention to Saturday's league contest, where they will have the chance to record a seventh consecutive home victory in all competitions.

Charlton, meanwhile, will be looking to close the five-point gap to the playoffs when they return to league action this weekend.

The Addicks experienced a disappointing outing in the FA Cup after they were held to a 1-1 home draw by eighth-tier club Cray Valley Paper Mills in last Sunday's first-round tie.

The League One outfit opened the scoring through Scott Fraser in the ninth minute, but a second-half own goal from Lucas Ness sent the tie to a replay, which will take place on Wednesday evening.

While that result would have disappointed Charlton manager Michael Appleton, his side do have the chance to claim consecutive league victories for the first time since March after beating Wigan Athletic 3-2 in their most recent League One fixture.

The former Portsmouth boss may draw inspiration from the fact Charlton have won their last three matches against Saturday's opponents.

Portsmouth League One form:

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Portsmouth form (all competitions):

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Charlton Athletic League One form:

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Charlton Athletic form (all competitions):

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Team News

Pompey are unable to call upon Regan Poole and Faustino Anjorin after the pair picked up injuries in last weekend's FA Cup defeat to Chesterfield.

Antony Scully and Tom Lowery remain unavailable, but club captain Marlon Pack could feature on the bench following a spell on the sidelines.

With Raggett's suspension only applicable to EFL Trophy games, the 30-year-old is expected to line up in central defence alongside Conor Shaughnessy.

As for the visitors, Panutche Camara is expected to be out for up to three months after sustaining a hamstring injury.

The Ipswich Town loanee is joined on the sidelines by Terry Taylor (ankle), Harry Isted (knee), and Chuks Aneke (hamstring).

After making a number of changes for the FA Cup draw with Cray Valley Paper Mills, Appleton is expected to name a similar lineup to the one that started the league win over Wigan.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Norris; Rafferty, Raggett, Shaughnessy, Sparkes; Robertson, Morrell; Lane, Devlin, Whyte; Bishop

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

Maynard-Brewer, Asiimwe, Hector, Jones, T. Watson; Dobson, L. Watson; Campbell, May, Blackett-Taylor; Leaburn

We say: Portsmouth 2-1 Charlton Athletic

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