Detailed: Portsmouth’s plan for pre-season opener as campaign starts in searing Spanish heat

The Blues boss will hand 45 minutes of action to the vast majority of his 26-man squad for their first warm-up game of the summer in Malaga this evening.

The Blues will take on the Gibraltarian side in the remote setting of Estadio Jose Burgos De Quintana, located between a 30 and 45-minute drive from the majority of the Costa Del Sol’s renowned holiday resorts.

It will be the first sight for the hundreds of travelling fans to catch glimpse of the majority of the nine signings the Blues have quickly made this summer.

After a gruelling week of double and triple sessions at Pompey’s La Cala Resort base in Mijas, the focus will be on continuing to build stamina for Mousinho’s players.

He said: ‘For us, it’s all about the fitness aspect of it and getting 45 minutes under everyone’s belts.

‘That will be the case for as many players as possible, though there will be a couple who miss out.

‘It’s going to be really important to get back out on the grass and have some 11 v 11 work on a full-size pitch, which we haven’t managed to do yet.

‘That’s normal for pre-season, but this will be a good opportunity for the fans to come and see us again.

‘I think there’s a fair few out here and it will be a nice introduction, because I know they’ll be missing their football.

‘It’s 45 minutes each. Coming into the second week of pre-season that is what they should be ready for.

‘It will be a slow paced game because of the heat and conditions.

‘That probably suits us quite nicely, because we don’t want to go into of the first game of pre-season and it be crash, bang, wallop and full throttle straightaway.

‘So it will be two 45s for almost everyone and it will be a good opportunity for a lot of lads to get out in the Portsmouth shirt.’

A big challenge for Pompey’s players - and fans - this evening will be dealing with the Spanish heat they will face.

At 6.30pm local time the temperature is still expected to be in and around 30 deg Celsius, with there very little cover where they game will be staged.

Mousinho added: ‘It’s going to be a 6.30pm kick-off and at that time it’s going to be a little bit hot.

‘Just standing there at that time it’s hot, so I’m guessing it will be around 28 to 30 degrees.

‘It’s going to be a very hot one for players and spectators - so bring your factor 50 and plenty of water.’