Portsmouth host Norwich in a midweek game under the lights at Fratton Park.
The Blues will look to build on their impressive win against Bristol City last Saturday, which pushed them up to 23rd in the Championship.
Norwich are looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss against 20th-place Queens Park Rangers, as they sit six points of the playoffs.
With that being said, let’s look into how the two sides look going into this game.
Team News:
Pompey are still missing a few players through injury and suspension. Conor Shaughnessy, Ibane Bowat, Jordan Williams, and Kusini Yengi all remain injured for this fixture. Mark O’Mahony has also joined that list, as a hip injury has ruled him out for 4-5 weeks.
Callum Lang and Andre Dozzell will also miss this fixture as a result of picking up too many yellow cards this season. With both players absent, it could have an impact on the high press, which we have seen in the last couple of games.
As for Norwich, they are also struggling with a few injury problems. Josh Sargent, Gabriel Forsyth, and Liam Gibbs are all set to miss out.
The Canaries do have some positive news, however, with Jose Cordoba recently coming back from injury as he came on late in the 3-0 loss against QPR.
The 23-year-old has played 14 games so far this season for Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side.
Recent Form:
Since the return of Colby Bishop, Portsmouth have improved their form, picking up seven out of the last ten available.
Most recently, John Mousinho’s side were comfortable winners against Bristol City, collecting only their third clean sheet of the season.
Portsmouth have also made it two home wins on the bounce for the first time since March.
Norwich have been dipping in and out of form over the last couple of games. Most recently, a surprising defeat to QPR left them 10th in the Championship.
However, they did record back-to-back wins before their defeat last Saturday, beating Plymouth and Luton convincingly at home.
Head to Head:
When looking back on history, Norwich have the better of Portsmouth, winning 24 out of their 60 meetings. Pompey have won 21, and the tie has ended in a draw 15 times.
Norwich ran out 1-0 winners the last time the two sides met at Fratton Park, with Simeon Jackson scoring the only goal of the match.
Players to Watch:
Portsmouth – Colby Bishop
Since returning from his heart surgery in November, Colby Bishop has been great for Portsmouth, scoring two and assisting one in three games. Many fans believe he may be the reason why Pompey could stay up this season.
Bishop has added more structure to Pompey, often being a handful for the opposition.
Over the past few games, we have seen his link-up with Josh Murphy, which is one to watch for this clash.
Norwich – Borja Sainz
Borja Sainz has been nothing short of incredible for the Canaries this season, scoring 15 goals in 19 appearances. The Spanish winger also has two assists to his name, often being the spark in this Norwich side.
The 23-year-old has scored three hat tricks this season and is five clear as top goalscorer in the Championship.
Many Norwich fans would be used to his familiar finish into the top right corner after cutting in from the left.
Verdict:
Both sides have conceded 30 goals already this season, so if there is one thing that this game is likely to deliver, it would be goals.
Norwich have scored 35 in comparison to Portsmouth’s 21 in the Championship. The Canaries will be hoping to use that to their advantage tonight as they look to get their first away win since the 28th of September.
However, Portsmouth should have plenty of confidence following back-to-back wins at Fratton Park.
All these characteristics should set up for an exciting fixture on the south coast.
