Pompey will hope to end their midweek woes when they travel down to Devon to face Plymouth this evening (8pm kick-off). John Mousinho's men go into the game knowing that a victory would see them climb off the foot of the table and leapfrog their opponents in the process. The Pilgrims also occupy a spot in the bottom three and it has been something of a 'Jekyll and Hyde' campaign for them so far. They have collected a single point from seven matches on the road and conceded 16 goals in the process – three of which came in Saturday's defeat at Leeds. But it is a different story on their own patch, with six fixtures yielding three wins – including against league leaders Sunderland – and a solitary defeat. A 1-0 success over Hull at Home Park saw Argyle secure their Championship status on the final day of last season. Former Blues coach Ian Foster was sacked at the start of April, with Manchester United and England great Wayne Rooney the man chosen to replace him over the summer. Pompey were beaten 3-1 on their last visit to Plymouth for a League One contest in February 2023, shortly after Mousinho arrived at the club. Their most recent victory there came eight years earlier, when penalties from Matt Tubbs and Gary Roberts secured a 2-1 fourth tier win for Paul Cook's side. TEAM NEWS Jacob Farrell (knee), Paddy Lane (Achilles), Conor Shaughnessy (calf) and Zak Swanson (heel) remain sidelined for Pompey. Ibane Bowat is set to miss the the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, with Colby Bishop continuing his rehabilitation from heart surgery. The home side are without Ibrahim Cissoko (hip), Joe Edwards (hamstring), Brendan Galloway (ankle), Lewis Gibson (thigh), Conor Hazard (ankle) and Muhamed Tijani (hamstring), while Adam Randell (thigh) is a doubt. VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM Read the thoughts of John Mousinho ahead of the big game. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Pompey: 28 wins Plymouth: 27 wins 18 draws At Home Park Pompey: 10 wins Plymouth: 17 wins 10 draws Last Meeting Plymouth 3 (Cosgrove, Azaz, Hardie) Pompey 1 (Hackett) League One February 11 2023 TICKETS Pompey are no longer selling tickets for this fixture and they are not available to purchase at Plymouth on the evening of the game. Click here to read a guide to visiting Home Park that has been produced by the home club.# OFFICIALS Referee: James Bell Assistants: Sam Lewis and Ian Cooper Fourth Official: Alex Chilowicz Bell last took charge of Pompey for their 2-0 victory at Bristol Rovers in March 2023, when he sent off current Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah and booked two Blues players. MATCH COVERAGE Supporters in the UK can watch the game live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, as well as via the Sky Sports+ app. It cannot be shown on Pompey+ in certain overseas locations, including in the USA, where the game is being screened on Paramount+. Click here and scroll down the page to find a list of territories where the game cannot be streamed on Pompey+. Overseas fans in other locations can now purchase a match pass to ensure they do not miss a minute of the action. Simply click here and under 'Available Packages', select 'Match Passes'. The matchday show is live before the game for Pompey+ subscribers and overseas fans with a video subscription/match pass. George Wedlake will be joined in the Fratton Park studio by Andy Awford and Paul Robinson. 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.
Argyle Starting Line Up:- 31 Daniel Grimshaw, 2 Bali Mumba, 4 Jordan Houghton (capt), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Kornel Szucs, 10 Morgan Whittaker, 18 Darko Gyabi, 19 Andre Gray, 28 Rami Al Hajj, 29 Matty Sorinola, 35 Freddie Issaka. Substitutes: 25 Marko Marosi (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 9 Ryan Hardie, 11 Callum Wright, 14 Michael Obafemi, 15 Mustapha Bundu, 27 Adam Forshaw, 34 Caleb Roberts, 44 Victor Palsson.
Only change in the starting line up for Pompey, is Jordan Williams coming in for Terry Devlin. According to Wayne Rooney, this match is a derby game !!!! He should stick to reading his Beano comic
Watching the game tonight on Sky Sports, so will be back possibly at half time, but most probably at full time. Do join in on this thread if you wish. PUP.
Final whistle. 1-0 home win thanks to an 82nd minute goal from Obafemi having shoved Regan Poole over in the penalty box, but no free kick given! We totally controlled the first half. How we didn't score is a mystery! We controlled most of the second half as well. 4 Argyle players booked plus 2 of ours (Freddie Potts and Callum Lang). The better team lost to my mind. Argyle rode their luck, and didn't deserve their "lucky" win.
Final Match Stats:- Overall Possession Plymouth Argyle 54.2%Portsmouth 45.8% Shots Plymouth Argyle 10Portsmouth 15 Shots on target Plymouth Argyle 4Portsmouth 4 Shots off target Plymouth Argyle 3Portsmouth 5 Blocked shots Plymouth Argyle 3Portsmouth 6 Total touches in the box Plymouth Argyle 14Portsmouth 34 Goalkeeper saves Plymouth Argyle 4Portsmouth 3 Aerial duels won Plymouth Argyle 21Portsmouth 31 Fouls Plymouth Argyle 8Portsmouth 21 Corners Plymouth Argyle 5Portsmouth 6
Well I was really gutted by this result. Managed to emulate the second half at Hull but, in addition sustained it for most of the game. I watched the game on Pompey+ - we deserved better. I would keep the same team for Saturday injuries permitting. Thanks as always for the usual commentary Woops. PUP
