Boss Kieran McKenna is expecting a hostile reception and Portsmouth to give the Blues a “physically imposing game” at Fratton Park on Thursday evening.

Town go into the match off the back of Monday’s comprehensive 3-0 home victory over Oxford United, while Pompey drew 0-0 at Exeter.

Asked, following the Boxing Day victory over the U's, whether he expects a different challenge from Pompey, McKenna said: “Let’s see. We’ve played them twice this year and had close to 70 per cent possession, so I think that’ll be difficult at Fratton Park.

“I expect it to be hostile and for them to try and make it a really physically imposing game and we’re looking forward to that challenge.

“I think they’re a strong team, certainly a team we expected to be right up there at the start of the season and were in great form when we played them here in the league the first time round, and we know it’s a really good game on the calendar to go to Portsmouth over Christmas week for a night game.

“It’s going to be an exciting one for the away fans. I’ve got friends who can’t wait to go down and watch it because we know there’s going to be a good atmosphere, so we’re excited for the game.

“Not too much recovery time, we have to recover well and prepare as well as we can and make sure we’re ready.”

Portsmouth are currently 11th in the League One table, 18 points behind the second-placed Blues, although only five away from the play-offs, but would have hoped to have been higher up the division at this point in the campaign.

They go into Thursday’s match without a win in seven in the league, but having lost only two of those matches.

“I haven’t focused on their results or anyone else’s results, to be honest,” McKenna continued. “I know they’re not in a great run, but I couldn’t tell you the ins and outs of it or how many points they’re off the top or the play-offs or anything like that.

“I know they’re not in the best of form but the margins are close, the margins in the league are very close.

“Oxford on Monday, they’ve got some really good players, have got a really good squad bringing on players from their bench with Premier League and high end Championship experience and have really good players who didn’t make their squad as well.

“And Portsmouth are similar. Good players, good squad, good players who don’t get on the pitch with them every week and good players who don’t get in the squad.

“The margins are thin and that’s why it’s most important to keep focusing on yourselves, keep focusing on performances and we believe that will take us where we want to get to and we’ll let other teams focus on themselves.”

McKenna was able to bring Lee Evans, Marcus Harness, Janoi Donacien and Luke Woolfenden back into his team against Oxford after varying periods on the sidelines due to injury and the increase in the number of players available will allow the Town boss to utilise his squad over the next couple of games with the Blues in action at Lincoln on Monday.

“I think we’ll need it,” he reflected. “Three games in seven days, so that’s going to be important.

“But I have to reiterate, everyone has a big squad. Oxford have a big squad, Portsmouth have a big squad.

“We have operated with a small squad and when everyone’s back fit we have 20, 21 senior players, which is not a big squad.

“You need depth for the course of the season, so it’s good to be back to a more suitable depth now, which gives us a better chance but everyone is going to have good options across this Christmas period and it’s certainly not going to make it any easier for us.”

Illness impacted the squad prior to the Oxford match and McKenna says a number of players have been affected since then, so his selection will depend on who is well enough to be involved.

Ideally, everyone being fit and well, Christian Walton would continue in goal with McKenna likely to stick with Donacien, Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess at the back with Wes Burns and Leif Davis in the wide roles.

Skipper Sam Morsy and Evans will be in the central midfield roles, assuming McKenna believes the Welshman is ready for two games in four days, with Cameron Humphreys the alternative if not.

Former Pompey man Harness similarly may be left out of the starting XI having made an impressive return on Monday, so Kyle Edwards may come in alongside another Fratton Park alumnus Conor Chaplin as one of the number 10s. The Blues boss could also switch Kayden Jackson for Freddie Ladapo as the central striker.

For Portsmouth, Tom Lowery (hamstring), Louis Thompson (leg), Kieron Freeman (calf), Joe Rafferty (stomach) and Jayden Reid (knee) are all long-term absentees, while manager Danny Cowley has revealed that a sickness bug has been affecting his squad this week.

Historically, the Blues have won 21 games against Portsmouth (20 in the league), 13 have been draws (12) and Pompey have won 17 (12).

At the end of last month, Town’s hopes of a Wembley final in the Papa Johns Trophy ended at the round-of-32 stage after a 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth at Portman Road.

Dane Scarlett opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, profiting from some sloppy play after Town had dominated the first half and the Blues huffed and puffed after the break without finding a leveller before Zak Swanson added the second deep in injury time.

The teams met at Portman Road in the league in October when goals from Harness, Ladapo and Burns saw Town to a dramatic 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten Portsmouth, who had twice levelled from the penalty spot.

Harness netted against his old club on 25 but Colby Bishop converted the first of two spot-kicks for Pompey seven minutes later.

In the second half the game was settled after three goals in seven minutes, sub Ladapo put the Blues back in front in the 74th minute with his first touch but Bishop again equalised from the spot on 79, however, straight from the kick-off Town won it through Burns.

In October last year at Fratton Park, Macauley Bonne, Chaplin, Sone Aluko and Burns were on target in a 4-0 Blues win.

Bonne gave Town the lead with his 10th goal of the season four minutes before the break when he embarrassed home keeper Gavin Bazunu, then Chaplin netted against his old side on 54 and Aluko made it 3-0 four minutes later, before Burns added the fourth in the 75th to complete the rout.

Blues forward Chaplin joined Pompey as a six-year-old and progressed through their youth ranks into the first team before leaving to join Coventry in January 2019. He made 36 starts and 86 sub appearances, scoring 25 times.

Fellow forward Harness was with Pompey from July 2019 until this summer when he joined the Blues, making 117 starts and 17 sub appearances, scoring 31 times.

Recent signing Gassan Ahadme spent the first half of last season on loan with Portsmouth, scoring once in six starts and four sub appearances.

Town striker Joe Pigott is on loan at Fratton Park for the season but is ineligible against the Blues.

Portsmouth winger Michael Jacobs came close to joining Town in the summer of 2021 but, having passed a medical and with personal terms agreed, the Blues pulled the plug on the deal and opted to sign Kyle Edwards instead.

Portsmouth midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe spent 2013/14 on loan at Town from Manchester United, making 24 starts and five sub appearances without scoring.

Thursday’s referee is Sam Allison from Wiltshire, who has shown 57 yellow cards and four red in 18 games so far this season.

Allison’s only previous Town match was the 2-1 home victory over Fleetwood at Portman Road in October last year in which he booked Morsy, Bersant Celina and three of the visitors.

Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Evans, Humphreys, Edwards, Chaplin, Harness, Aluko, Ladapo, Jackson, Ahadme.

Photo: TWTD

Nobbysnuts added 11:51 - Dec 28 Who is Christian burgess???
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PhilTWTD added 12:13 - Dec 28 Ha! Used to play for Portsmouth. Must have crossed my mind as I was typing the name. Amended.
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WestSussexBlue added 14:32 - Dec 28 A discreet little dig at Cowley re Squad size. Quite rightly too, Portsmouth have had their fair share of injuries this season but have a squad certainly with ample quality in there. They were struggling to find the net before the bug took hold now it's back to back games against MK Dons and Exeter without scoring. I fancy a narrow win tomorrow night, possibly Chappers scoring and potentially that could signal a change of manager ahead of the transfer window.

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raycrawfordswig added 15:28 - Dec 28 Be interesting to see how many penalties bishop try's to get.usually more than messi.
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