Portsmouth v Leeds United: early teams news as Blues hope to welcome back duo and visitors sweat on fitness of forward

With a sold-out stadium - 2,171 Whites fans set to descend on the south coast - and both teams still having plenty to play for this season, it’s guaranteed to be a cracking occasion.

The season-opener at Elland Road that finished 3-3 certainly lived up to its pre-match billing. So it’s understandable why Sky Sports acted swiftly to move the Championship game back 21 hours in order to broadcast it live to the nation.

Pompey’s two-goal hero that day at Leeds, Callum Lang, won’t have the chance to replicate his bold Elland Road showing, however, as he sits out the rest of the season with the hamstring he suffered against Oxford last month.

Nor will Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring) or Paddy Lane (knee) - two other Blues starters on the first day of the Championship season - who are also currently absent because of injury. Shaughnessy still has his part to play in Pompey’s run-in, with the Irish centre-back expected back in early April. But the same cannot be said for forward Lane, who required surgery after limping off against Blackburn back in January and will miss the remaining 11 games of the Blues’ campaign.

That fate is something £1.2m January arrival Hayden Matthews is also coming to terms with at present, with the Aussie defender’s impressive introduction to English football brought to a dramatic halt by an ankle injury picked up in the recent win against QPR.

That Fratton Park victory against the Hoops provided head coach coach John Mousinho with a double injury setback as Matthews’ centre-back partner, Rob Atkinson, also pulled up in pain. The Bristol City loanee hobbled off in the first half with a calf issue. And while he’s expected to return before the season reaches its climax - just - his unavailability for the foreseeable future comes as a huge blow for a Pompey side still needing points to guarantee their Championship safety.

Thankfully, Saturday’s loss to Luton at Kenilworth Road didn’t add to Pompey’s injury woes - with Ibane Bowat and Jacob Farrell also out for the season.

In fact, it saw both Mark O’Mahony and Freddie Potts (both groin injuries) return to the fold after their respective short stints on the sidelines - something which Jordan Williams might do on Sunday for the visit of Leeds as he closes in on his return from a hamstring injury. An update on striker Thomas Waddingham (groin) is expected on Thursday.

Leeds injury concerns

League leaders Leeds also have injury worries heading into the Fratton Park fixture - but nothing that compares to the queue currently outside the Pompey medical room.

Skipper Ethan Ampadu is expected to be out until after this month’s international break, after the Welshman suffered knee cartilage damage during the Whites’ victory against Sunderland on February 17.

Defender Max Wober will also sit out the trip to PO4 as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, with the Austrian’s last match for Daniel Farke’s side dating back to early January.

Meanwhile, striker Patrick Bamford’s frustrating season is set to continue as his battle with a hamstring injury persists.

Fellow forward Mateo Joseph is perhaps giving Farke & Co their biggest headache heading into the game against Pompey. The Spaniard, who has made 34 Championship appearances for Leeds this term, rolled his ankle in last Saturday’s draw against West Brom.

He is being constantly assessed before the Whites make the trip to the south coast.

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