EFL make official decision ahead of Portsmouth vs Norwich City Championship showdown

The EFL have announced that Andrew Kitchen will be the referee for Portsmouth’s upcoming home game against Norwich City at Fratton Park. Kitchen has been officiating in the EFL since the start of the 2021/22 season, and has so far taken charge of over 50 EFL fixtures.

So far this season, he has overseen 11 Championship matches and has handed out 40 yellow cards and one red - giving him an average of 3.64 yellows a game, according to WhoScored.com. Kitchen has taken charge of two Portsmouth’s games in his career, with the Blues coming out on top on both occasions.

Lee Venamore and Nigel Lugg will be the assistant referees at Fratton Park while Gavin Ward will be the game’s fourth official. Portsmouth’s best performance and most convincing victory of the campaign allowed them to climb off the bottom table last time out with Colby Bishop, Josh Murphy and Callum Lang all scoring the goals in a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Bristol City.

The win was Portsmouth’s third of the season and a second in a row in front of the Fratton Park faithful. The Blues are slowly but surely showing signs of a mini-revival under John Mousinho and have lost just once in their last five matches. Another victory for Portsmouth this week could see them climb out of the relegation places, if results elsewhere go in their favour.

Portsmouth’s upcoming opponents

Norwich City are looking to bounce back from a defeat, which Scotland international Kenny McLean described as ‘up there with the worst’ they’ve had this season. The Canaries suffered a shock 3-0 loss in West London against relegation strugglers QPR and were no match for Marti Cifiuentes side, who showed greater grit and determination to perform on a wind and rain tested pitch at Loftus Road.

As it stands, Norwich City are 10th in the table under new boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, leaving them six points behind the play-off places and eight points clear of the drop zone. The Yellows have been hugely inconsistent throughout the season, but when in full flow have shown they are more than capable of troubling any defence in the league.

This statement is encapsulated by a 4-1 victory over Watford in September, a 4-0 triumph over Hull in October, and a 6-1 rout against Plymouth Argyle. Norwich City are spearheaded by the top scorer in the division Borja Sainz, who has found the net 15 times in 19 appearances this season. Meanwhile, Josh Sargent has also been hugely impressive with four goals and five assists, making him one of the leading creators in the division.

The Blues last faced Norwich City in the FA Cup in January 2019 and recorded a shock 1-0 victory, with Andre Green bagging the winner in the 95th minute of the contest at Carrow Road. Portsmouth have lost just one of their last five games against Norwich City but were beaten in their last league match back in May 2011.