Portsmouth injury update: trio expected to be available for Oxford visit to Fratton Park - but visit to specialist pencilled in for attacking midfielder

Marlon Pack (suspension), Joe Rafferty (stomach muscle) and Tom Lowery (hamstring) are all on course to make their returns to the match-day squad.

However, the Blues will adopt a wait and see approach for Joe Morrell, who had to sit out Saturday’s 1-0 win at Forest Green Rovers with a back injury – despite being named on the bench for the trip to Forest Green.

Meanwhile, Michael Jacobs is set to see a specialist on Tuesday in a bid to discover the full extent of the hamstring injury he picked up at Charlton last week.

That follows the attacking midfielder going for a scan on the injury in the aftermath of the Addicks defeat, although Cowley admitted they are hopeful there is nothing too serious to worry about.

Speaking about the current injury situation at Fratton Park ahead of the U’s game, the manager said: ‘I think we've got some challenges for sure but it was good Joe Rafferty trained with the group today (Monday), which is a real positive going into tomorrow, so did Tom Lowery, which, again, is a real positive.

‘I think last week we had four key central midfielders out - obviously Joe Morrell with an injury, Tom Lowery with an injury, Louis Thompson with his broken leg, and obviously we had Marlon Pack suspended as well.

‘We did really well as a group to navigate through that game (at Forest Green) on Saturday, because that's not easy to do by any stretch of the imagination when you have that many injuries in one key position.

'It's good now that we will go into two home games with some players back available.’

When asked if Pack had fully recovered from the hamstring worry that had been mentioned following his dismissal at the Valley, Cowley answered: 'He just had some tightness in his hamstring but we're hopeful he'll be available for tomorrow’.

And when prodded for an update on Jacobs, who has suffered two hamstring injuries this term, the manager added: 'He's seeing a specialist tomorrow and we'll know more then.

‘We’re hopeful it won't be too serious.'