An impressive victory on home soil last weekend was followed up by a disappointing defeat on the road in midweek. That can be used to summarise the past few days for Pompey and Bristol City ahead of their meeting at Fratton Park on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off). While John Mousinho's men saw off Millwall before going down at Sheffield United, their next opponents beat Swansea 3-0 prior to a 2-0 reverse at Wrexham. It is the Robins sitting comfortably higher in the Championship standings, however – stationed just outside the top six. They will be looking to go a step further than last season, when a play-off spot was secured on the final day, only to be followed up by a 6-0 aggregate defeat to the Blades. Boss Liam Manning left for Norwich – where he has since been dismissed – soon after and new head coach Gerhard Struber is charged with bringing top-flight football back to Ashton Gate for the first time since 1980. They have won three times on the road so far this season, seeing off both Sheffield Clubs and the Canaries, but were thumped 5-1 at Stoke earlier this month. Both sides enjoyed 3-0 victories on their own patch during the 2024/25 campaign, with Colby Bishop, Josh Murphy and Callum Lang getting the goals on the south coast. TEAM NEWS Terry Devlin is suspended for Pompey following his red card for handball at Bramall Lane on Wednesday night. They are also still missing Harvey Blair (hamstring), Jacob Farrell (groin), Connor Ogilvie (knee), Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring), Franco Umeh (hamstring) and Thomas Waddingham (thigh). Rob Atkinson (hamstring) will not be able to feature for Bristol City against his former club, although fellow ex-Fratton loanees Ross McCrorie and Cameron Pring could feature. The visitors are also without Max Bird (calf), Luke McNally (knee), Josh Stokes (foot) and Joe Williams (ankle), but Scott Twine should be available following a quad injury. VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM Read the thoughts of John Mousinho ahead of the big game. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Pompey: 15 wins Bristol City: 23 wins 18 draws At Fratton Park Pompey: 10 wins Bristol City: 7 wins 11 draws Last Home Meeting Pompey 3 (Bishop, Murphy, Lang) Bristol City 0 Championship December 7 2024 TICKETS There are a limited number of seats remaining and the ticket exchange is open, so click here to secure your spot. Click here to read our matchday guide and find out what is happening around the ground ahead of the game. OFFICIALS Referee: Sam Allison Assistants: Andrew Fox and Robert Hyde Fourth Official: Lee Swabey Allison last took charge of Pompey when they beat Watford on home soil back in April, booking a total of seven players and sending the Hornets' Kévin Keben for an early bath. He has been in the middle for seven games so far this season, brandishing 31 yellow cards and showing the red one on a single occasion. MATCH COVERAGE Supporters in the UK can watch the game live via the Sky Sports+ app. Those based overseas can see all the action on Pompey+, either through a monthly/annual subscription or by purchasing a match pass. George Wedlake will be joined by Lee Brown and Mark Kelly in the Fratton Park studio. Fans can get involved by sending messages and voicenotes to our Pompey+ WhatsApp channel* on +44 7457 413694 or via this link. Please note that the half-time and post-match shows are only available to watch for fans in regions where the game is being shown live on Pompey+. Audio commentary from Andrew Moon and Guy Whittingham is available for Pompey+ subscribers or those who purchase an audio subscription/match pass. Click here for more details about using Pompey+, including the answers to some frequently asked questions. Locally-based fans who are not going to the game can listen, as always, via BBC Radio Solent or Express FM (not available online). *Please note that the WhatsApp service is only for sending messages to appear on the matchday show. The club will not be able to reply to any messages.
Bristol City Starting Line Up:- Number23, R. Vítek Number14, Z. Vyner Number16, R. Dickie (c), Number19, G. Tanner Number21, Neto Borges Number4, A. Randell Number17, M. Sykes Number2, R. McCrorie Number11, A. Mehmeti Number10, S. Twine Number18, E. Riis Substitutes:- Number30, S. Armstrong Number7, Y. Hirakawa Number34, J. Meerholz Number3, C. Pring Number31, E. Morrison Number9, F. Mayulu Number25, E. Yeboah Number1, M. O’Leary Number24, H. Roberts
Pompey have dropped Florian Bianchini and Mark Kosznovszky to the bench, and Terry Devlin is suspended. In come Jordan Williams, Marlon Pack (against his old club) and Callum Lang.
Once again I am watching the match live on SkySports+, so back at half time. Hoping for a far better Pompey performance today!
Half time. 0-1 to City. They started well and took the lead in the 17th minute with a header from Mehmeti from a cross by Borges. We came back into the game before half time, playing a lot better And Josh Knight headed over from a superb free kick by Adrian Segecic. Andre Dozzell was yellow carded for shirt pulling, yet Ross McCrorie escapes yellow cards for a couple of "thuggish" fouls, especially on Josh Murphy. I do recall him receiving quite a few yellow or red cards whilst on loan to us years ago from Glasgow Rangers, so he hasn't changed!
Half Time Match Stats:- Overall possession Portsmouth 44.2%Bristol City 55.8% Shots Portsmouth 3Bristol City 9 Shots on target Portsmouth 0Bristol City 3 Total touches inside the opposition box Portsmouth 5Bristol City 10 Goalkeeper saves Portsmouth 2Bristol City 0 Aerial duels won Portsmouth 4Bristol City 11 Fouls committed Portsmouth 5Bristol City 7 Corners Portsmouth 1Bristol City 2
Final score. 0-1. We played better in the second half, but the goals did not come. Wish young striker Makenzie Kirk had been brought on earlier. He is quite lively, and his positioning is pretty good. Should he have been awarded a penalty when a shove in the back laid him out on the pitch? I believe so, although the referee thought otherwise! Currently in the bottom three, and needing a complete reversal of form to move up the table. We desperately require a decent striker signing in January, but who, and from where?!
Final Match Stats:- Overall possession Portsmouth 49.8%Bristol City 50.2% Shots Portsmouth 13Bristol City 15 Shots on target Portsmouth 2Bristol City 5 Total touches inside the opposition box Portsmouth 17Bristol City 22 Goalkeeper saves Portsmouth 4Bristol City 2 Aerial duels won Portsmouth 21Bristol City 21 Fouls committed Portsmouth 11Bristol City 12 Corners Portsmouth 4Bristol City 4
