League leaders Pompey host play-off chasing Oxford United at Fratton Park in an EFL League One clash on Saturday, March 2.
The two sides met at the end of January which resulted in a 2-2 draw. James Henry rescued a point for Oxford after Colby Bishop and Callum Lang had scored to cancel out Tyler Goodrham's opener.
Oxford at one stage looked to be contender for automatic promotion and a rival to Pompey but now 16 points separates the two sides with 11 games remaining. Des Buckinham's men are currently outside of the play-offs by two points following a midweek victory for Stevenage.
The vistors haven't won in their last three matches having lost to Leyton Orient last Saturday with draws against Northampton Town and Wycombe Wanderers coming before that. Pompey drew with Charlton Athletic last week but are on an eight game unbeaten run in which six of those have been victories.
Bolton Wanderers and Derby County dropped points in midweek and so with Derby not holding a game in hand and Bolton having only played one fewer game are seven points off which makes for a nice cushion at the top of the table.
Pompey a day before the match announced the signing of four-time Wales international Lee Evans. He was released by Championship play-off hopefuls Ipswich Town having undergone knee surgery earlier in the campaign. Portsmouth have been in need of midfield options following a spate of injuries and now have cover in an area that was short on options.
Porsmouth's injury list is extensive and there are some players who won't play a part again in the current campaign. Oxford have a few players out but it's not anywhere near as bad as Portsmouth. Here's the latest injury and team news ahead of Saturday's clash at Fratton Park.
17. Terry Devlin - out
Expected to miss a majority of the campaign with a shoulder injury. | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
18. Lee Evans - available
Signed for Pompey on Friday and could make his debut. He was released by Ipswich Town earlier this year. Underwent knee surgery and so he will need to be carefully managed. | Getty Images
19. Tom Lowery - out
Damaged his hamstring against Cambridge United in February. Expected to be out until the end of March. | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
20. Tom Lowery - out (continued)
John Mousinho: ‘It’s always difficult to say it’s good news when a player is injured, but we feared Tom might be a bit longer because of the location of the injury. ‘It’s not as bad as it was last season, so we are looking at about six weeks in total before a return to training following the incident. Taking a couple of those out already, it’s four weeks. ‘We are going to be cautious with Tom anyway, in terms of his return to training and return to playing because of his injury record, but it's not as bad as it was last season. ‘The scan showed a minor tear, but it was the location we weren't sure about - and that's what the specialist had to make sure. ‘Tom coming back towards the end of March is going to be great news for us.’ | Jason Brown Photo: Jason Brown