Pompey’s longest trip of the season is, at least on paper, one of their most difficult. Danny Cowley’s men make the mammoth trip up to the north-east to take on Sunderland on Saturday (3pm kick-off). Their opponents are sitting third in the League One standings, with only goal difference currently keeping them out of the automatic promotion spots. But they will be keen to see a return to winning ways, with the past three fixtures yielding just a couple of points. The most recent outing for the Black Cats came last weekend, when they were held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Accrington. It is the fourth successive season that the Wearsider are competing at this level after suffering successive drops from the Premier League and Championship. They finished fourth to reach the play-offs last term, only to then be beaten 3-2 over two legs by Lincoln. The one consolation was a trip to Wembley – albeit an empty one – to beat Tranmere and lift the Papa John’s Trophy. John Marquis’ brace and a Marcus Harness goal sealed a 3-1 victory when Pompey visited the Stadium of Light last season. Lee Johnson’s men were also beaten at Fratton Park back in October, crumbling to a 4-0 defeat in sodden conditions. TEAM NEWS Pompey will check on the fitness of Reeco Hackett, who missed Tuesday’s trip to AFC Wimbledon with a foot injury. But there are no new injury concerns, with Jayden Reid (knee) and Liam Vincent (shin) the only definite absentees. Sunderland are missing Aiden McGeady (knee) and Luke O’Nien (shoulder), while Corry Evans, Alex Pritchard and Bailey Wright are all hoping to be passed fit. The home side could hand debuts to Danny Batth and Patrick Roberts, who signed from Stoke and Manchester City respectively this week. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Pompey: 37 wins Sunderland: 40 wins 35 draws On the road Pompey: 10 wins Sunderland: 28 wins 17 draws TICKETS Pompey fans will not be able to pay on the day at the Stadium of Light, so please do not travel if you do not have a ticket. OFFICIALS Referee: David Rock Assistants: Hristo Karaivanov and Chris Isherwood Fourth Official: Robert Madley BETTING Sunderland are the 77/100 favourites with VBET to secure all three points, while Pompey can be backed at 3/1.
This Pompey team seems to have forgotten how to score. I fear that, if Sunderland get an early goal, we'll get pummelled
Attempt missed. Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Tyler Walker. 2 minutes.
Hoffmann tries to roll the ball out, but it hits Tyler Walker and rolls to Marcus Harness, who can only fire over. 11 minutes.
Attempt blocked. Marcus Harness (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 14 minutes.
Attempt blocked. Mahlon Romeo (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 15 minutes.
Attempt missed. Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth) header from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Reeco Hackett-Fairchild with a cross following a corner. 15 minutes.
Attempt saved. Elliot Embleton (Sunderland) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ross Stewart. 21 minutes.
Attempt missed. Sean Raggett (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Hayden Carter. 26 minutes.
Attempt saved. Sean Raggett (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. 26 minutes.
Attempt missed. Leon Dajaku (Sunderland) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is close, but misses to the right. 34th minute.
1-0 to Sunderland with a goal from Brett Embleton. 40th minute. Talk about against the run of play. It's a familiar tale for Pompey, who have not been able to make the most of their dominance in possession and now have to fight from behind
Attempt missed. Marcus Harness (Portsmouth) left footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Ronan Curtis with a cross. 45 +1 mins. Just 1 minute of added time. Half time score is 1-0 to the home side. Very disappointing !
Half Time Match Stats:- Home Team: Sunderland ............Away Team: Portsmouth Possession: Home 44% Away 56% Shots: Home 4 Away 9 Shots on Target: Home 3 Away 1 Corners: Home 1 Away 3 Fouls: Home 11 Away 6
