RECAP an incredible opener between Pompey and title favourites Leeds United

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Pompey are back!

Today’s the day Pompey step back out into the Championship.

And what a challenge to mark the occasion as John Mousinho’s men travel to title favourites Leeds United!

We’ll be building up to kick-off at Elland Road with all the talking points before team news drops at 11.30am.

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Then it’s more chat before the drama unfolds as 12 long years outside of the second tier.

And we’ll be there every step of the way as he bring you live kick-by-kick commentary against Daniel Farke’s men.

LIVE Leeds United v Portsmouth

A smooth trip up to Leeds, great facilities and now Born Slippy’s booming out of the PA. Hopefully the afternoon hasn’t just peaked....

John Mousinho confirming it’s a groin injury keeping Yengi out today. We’ll get the lowdown after the game on the extent of the issue but sounds like it was picked up in training.

What an afternoon for Elias Sorensen. A couple of months ago he was playing in the Danish third tier - today he leads the line for Pompey in the Championship at a packed Elland Road!

Team sheetTeam sheet
Team sheet | Team sheet

Yengi missing with a groin injury today

Here's Pompey's line -up

Pompey: Norris; Williams, Shaughnessy, Towler, Ogilvie; Pack, Dozzell; Silvera, Lang, Lane; Sorensen. Subs: Archer, Swanson, Devlin, Stevenson, Lowery, Moxon, Ritchie, Whyte, Saydee.

Four debuts as Williams, Dozzell, Silvera and Sorensent start - but no Yengi in the Pompey squad at Leeds.

Pompey a whopping 6/1!

Leeds: 3/8

Draw: 15/4

Pompey: 6/1

Welcome to the Championship

It’s Pompey’s first meeting with Leeds in 12 years, after a 0-0 draw at Fratton Park in 2012.

Harry Redknapp’s men memorably emerged 6-1 winners in their maiden Premier League campaign, before running out 2-1 winners at Elland Road on their way top top-flight survival

In the head-to-head count, Pompey have won 18 encounters, Leeds 23 with 17 draws.

A message from the Pompey boss ahead of the new season

After all the excitement of last season and anticipation we’ve felt through the summer, we are now here at the start of a special campaign.

I can tell you stepping up to the Championship after a 12-year absence for this club is an opportunity and challenge we are going to relish.

The reason we put all that hard work in last season was to make sure we played top sides - so we are going to embrace and look forward to going to Elland Road and all of these other brilliant grounds.

We feel we go into the season in pretty good shape, although it’s been a very different summer to 12 months again.

It’s also a very different challenge we face, we know that - it’s a very different league in terms of finances. With sides benefitting from parachute payments, quite a few in recent seasons, it’s something we have to contend with.

The disparity makes it a real challenge, but what a challenge it is - one I believe we can step up to.

And what about Leeds away for the first game! It’s going to be an amazing weekend, I think.

There’s been a lot of anticipation through the summer and the hype has been building, as we get closer to the opener.

It feels like everything has been doubled because of the fact it’s Leeds away and we’ve got such an exciting start with all the fixtures we have, including the three sides who’ve come down from the Premier League in the first seven.

I think that just all adds to the buzz which has been building up around the place, after so long out of the league and finally getting back there.

This is a day we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time.

From our point of view we approach the game with excitement not trepidation: we will attack every game we play.

If it’s a tough start on paper, that’s absolutely fine. People have talked about the first seven games being difficult - our eighth game is Stoke away! I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination that’s an easy one to follow up!

It shows that every single game home and away is against a very good Championship side, it’s a really strong group this year.

I think a lot of the lads who were part of the title-winning side have earned a chance to prove themselves in the Championship.

We will definitely see that in terms of team selection for the weekend, and the amount of players we saw at the back end of last season being involved. There’s also a lot of lads who’ve played in the Championship, who can slot into the side as well.

To be honest, it doesn’t really matter to me. Whether it’s a player who earned the chance from last season or has come in because we felt they were good players we could bring into the building, it’s now about who’s ready to play at the weekend.

Every time now it’s about putting a team out to do a job in this division.

There’s naturally a lot of focus on the Leeds game and we will travel up with thousands of fans, but there’s also a lot of anticipation about when we return to Fratton Park.

Millwall in the Carabao Cup will be a big game, but the Luton match with three points on the line is going to feel like a big return to Championship football at Fratton.

It’s two clubs who’ve been through the mill and we’ve taken different paths, but that will be a massive clash, too.

Welcoming sides to Fratton is going to be huge this season. We know we have to make it difficult for sides and a really tough place to play.

I can’t overstate the importance of the role you once again have to play this season in doing that.

We know it’s going to be tough at times and there will be testing moments, but I also believe there is the character and quality in this group to respond to those battles.

We know you won’t be found wanting - and together we can make this another memorable season for Portsmouth Football Club.

John Mousinho reveals how Pompey beat Sheffield United to Andre Dozzell

The Pompey boss gives the inside track on landing the midfielder ahead of Sheffield United.

John Mousinho revealed Andre Dozzell turned down a move to Sheffield United in favour of a Pompey switch.

And the Blues boss has lauded the midfielder’s Championship pedigree as a big appeal, as he weighs up his selection for the campaign opener at Leeds United.

Pompey this week landed Dozzell on a 12-month deal, as the former QPR and Ipswich man bolsters the middle of the park.

That followed on from the 25-year-old spending pre-season on trial with the Blades, following their relegation from the Premier League.

Dozzell impressed at Bramall Lane, with Mousinho confirming a move to Yorkshire was an avenue open to the man who spent the second half of last season with Birmingham.

That made it all the more pleasing for the Pompey boss that the former England age-group talent was tempted to Fratton Park.

He said: ‘It all happened really quickly. We’d been monitoring Andre, but after the successful trial he’d had at Sheffield United and playing a couple of games, we thought going up there was going to be an option for him.

‘I don’t want to go into detail too much, but Sheffield United was an option so we’re really pleased that Andre chose to come down here over that.

‘The fact that he’s had a pre-season, got a couple of games under his belt and massive pedigree in the Championship with the amount of games he’s played at the level is brilliant.

‘Whenever he’s played in League One he’s had full seasons in successful sides, so that’s a real attraction.

‘He’ll give us real control and technical ability in the middle of the park, as well as Championship experience.

‘I throw that out because we didn’t have too many in the squad at the back end of last season who’d played too many Championship games. So to bring in Andre is brilliant from that point of view.

‘I think he gives us control, technical ability and he’s athletic enough to get around the pitch as well.’

Good luck to Pompey fans travelling to today's game

Here's how we think Pompey will line up today

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