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.
