Boss set to keep faith in U's starters

The Pompey boss rang the changes for the Capital One Cup clash at Bournemouth in midweek.

But Whittingham is not anticipating a massively different starting XI tomorrow from the team who fell to a 4-1 opening-day loss against Oxford.

The Blues made six changes on Tuesday – which was always the plan going into the first two games of the new campaign.

Now Whittingham has indicated he is not going for wholesale switches at the Crown Ground.

He will be forced to replace Johnny Ertl, however, as he serves the second game of a three-match ban for his dismissal last weekend.

Whittingham said: ‘Decisions have been tough to make. One or two got injuries later in pre-season and that made it more of an automatic choice. But we know we have competition for places.

‘We’ll wait and see what route I go down now. But I expect whoever is or isn’t playing to be professional.

‘There will be one change at least (from the Oxford defeat) but I don’t expect a lot of changes.

‘I thought Bondz N’Gala, Romain Padovani, Ricky Holmes, Danny East and Tom Craddock all did well against Bournemouth.

‘There were a lot of positives to take from the game and one or two are contenders to come in.’

Pompey will come up against an old foe in the shape of Stanley boss and former Southampton striker James Beattie tomorrow.

Whittingham has given that no consideration, though.

He said: ‘I haven’t thought about that. I’m concentrating on us producing a good performance.’