Gaffer: This Portsmouth back four deserves to be kept together for Sunderland

It’s a massive game and unfortunately we are hitting Sunderland at a time when they’re in really good form.

However, we seem to raise our performances against the better teams – and I think we’ll do it again, getting a win.

We played Wycombe off the park when they were League One leaders and have done that with other teams too, most recently Championship Barnsley.

Sunderland actually represent the first time we have played a top-six team since that Wycombe result, but I think we’ll be okay.

If Pompey can score first, like any other game I guess, it potentially creates more space for you. Sunderland are no mugs, they’re a good team who can score a lot of goals.

I would name exactly the same team which started against Lincoln, I wouldn’t change it at all.

My only thought is would you bring Ross McCrorie in for James Bolton? Having said that, that back four have conceded once in their last three league outings.

We have stability in the back four for the first time in a long time, so do you change something that’s working really, really well?

Jack Whatmough is a better player than Sean Raggett, but I wouldn’t alter the back four at the moment. McCrorie and Whatmough are on the bench if there is a need to shore it up.

Another debate is whether to bring back Cameron McGeehan, presumably in place of Ben Close or Andy Cannon, depending on what position you see him in

However, I think Cannon is critical. Along with Christian Burgess, he has to be the first name on the team sheet.

Pompey (4-2-3-1): MacGillivray, Bolton, Burgess, Raggett, Seddon, Close, Naylor, Williams, Cannon, Curtis, Marquis.