Anticipated showdown doesn't need hype as Portsmouth lock horns with grand foes Sunderland

'˜This is the one we've been waiting for,' said Alan Knight in his weekly column in The News as he looked ahead to the visit of Sunderland on Saturday.

Knightsy, of course, went through the build-up to one or two big games in his 801-game Fratton career.

And when he can sense the anticipation of the team who've kept pace with Kenny Jackett's men this term visiting  '“ for the first time since 2010 '“ you know it should be a game to savour.

Yes, Luton's storming run of just a single league defeat in 15 has them in closest proximity to the Blues as we hit the half-way mark of the season.

But it's Jack Ross' men who've been perched menacingly on Pompey's shoulder for much of the campaign, and after the latest round of action knew they'd leapfrog the leaders with victories in their two games in hand.

That sets the scene perfectly, with what unfolds at Fratton Park on Saturday likely to have a major impact on the jostling for position, as the pack turn for home in the title race.

We can eschew the '˜must-win' hyperbole with a fixture of this nature not needing such hyping to make it an attraction.

Just look to the fact the sold-out sign banner has been plastered over the meeting on the ticketing page on Pompey's website for weeks, with the attendance set to hit a seven-year high.

An away end packed with 2,500-plus fans who've travelled the length of the country is another ingredient box-tick when creating the recipe for a big Fratton occasion.

There will be obvious psychological and confidence advantages gained to the side who take the spoils, too.

The match is the third of a trio of fixtures which many believed would offer an insight into the psyche of Jackett's men and their ability to last the promotion course.

Although not delivering the points return hoped for in the first two have revealed plenty on that front, with the Blues producing a 45-minute charge which could've easily saved the day after their first-half inadequacies against Charlton.

Then a stoic showing against a side unbeaten at home this term harvested a point at Barnsley last weekend.

Really, the question we're still awaiting the answer for is are Pompey quite good enough to win this league? Saturday will take us another step closer to offering a convincing response on that front.

But let's not bill the occasion as such. This is two title contenders, two institutions with a rich history and two outfits with arguably the strongest claims to being the division's biggest football clubs.

Such afternoons don't need the hype and bluster. Let's enjoy it for what it is - a proper football match - and be thankful Pompey are there contesting it.