Pompey boss Danny Cowley and his assistant Nicky Cowley.Pompey boss Danny Cowley and his assistant Nicky Cowley.
Pompey boss Danny Cowley and his assistant Nicky Cowley.

How Portsmouth's starting XI might look if the League One season started now

Five players who started Pompey’s last game of the 2020-21 season have since left the club.

Meanwhile, six of the seven who occupied the bench that day against Accrington have also departed.

That’s 11 players in total who had hopes of taking the Blues to the play-offs that match-day before ultimately failing saying goodbye to Fratton Park in the near seven weeks that have proceeded.

It’s left Pompey with just 14 players – a number which is due to be reduced further with Ellis Harrison expected to join Oxford – less than a week before the fixtures for the latest campaign are released.

So how would Danny Cowley’s men look if they were asked to fulfil a fixture today under current circumstances?

We’ll, here’s one predicted 4-4-2 starting XI we’ve come up with.

Some might disagree – but when the numbers are so low, it would be hard to come up with alternatives...