Pompey -Vs- Posh : Preview

Posh head in to Tuesday nights match at Portsmouth still looking for that elusive first away win of the season.

It`s been 18 years since Posh last travelled to Fratton Park for a League game. On that occasion, Posh came away with a 2-0 victory; a score Posh would be delighted with if tonight`s game finished with the same score line.

Pompey had a disappointing start to home life this season going down 1-0 to Brighton, but have remained unbeaten at home since that defeat.

They won a tight game at home against Blackpool at the weekend when they scored in the 94th minute.

Should Pompey win tonight, it will be the first time this season they have recorded back to back victories in the League.

Vital Quotes:

Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson said: “We were all very frustrated after the West Ham match. No-one gave us a chance of getting a result, but we felt we could get something there and the way the game panned out confirmed that.

“But we must channel that frustration into picking up a positive result tonight. We haven`t played badly away from home, but we need to start picking up points otherwise we will be putting ourselves under too much pressure at home.

“It`s another tough match tonight. Portsmouth have some outstanding players. They basically have a Premier League squad so it`s just as tough a game as playing at West Ham.

“They have some big players and they will be physical, but they also play some decent stuff at home.

“But if we believe in ourselves we can get something down there. We need to play with some arrogance perhaps. We have good players here and they must start showing it away from home.”

Fergie on Zakuani and Tomlin

“We always thought Gaby would struggle to play on Saturday and a Tuesday. He`s done remarkably well to play as much as he has.” commented Ferguson.

“Scott Wootton will come into the side and Josh Thompson will come into the squad. Lee couldn`t get in for a scan as we had hoped on Sunday, but he will obviously not be involved tonight.

“He could be out for a while so we will have to see what the scan shows and take it from there. We should get the results on Thursday.”

Portsmouth Team News:

Luke Varney is serving the 2nd of his 3 match ban following his recent sending off.

Defender Aaron Mokoena could miss out after limping off during Saturdays game. Forward Dave Kitson is also out with a rib injury.

On the positive side, new loan signing from Fulham, Bjorn Helge Riise is set to make his Pompey debut.

Player to watch: David Norris

Peterborian David Norris attended Jack Hunt School in Peterborough and played local Sunday Morning League football for the Lord Westwood as a teenager.

Norris played for Stamford and Boston before earning his big break with a move to Bolton.

From there, he went on play over 200 games for Plymouth and 100 games for Ipswich before moving to Portsmouth on a free transfer in the summer.

He has scored twice in eight appearances for Pompey and would dearly love to score against his home town team.

Peterborough United Team News:

Posh will be without the services of both Lee Tomlin and Gaby Zakuani for the South coast trip.

Scott Wootton will come in for Zakuani while the rest of the team that started against West Ham on Saturday are likely to get the nod again.

Celtic loanee Josh Thompson will come into the squad while newcomer Danny Kearns will be hoping he can get more time on the pitch following his 4 minute debut at the weekend.

Player to watch: Grant McCann

With the loss of Lee Tomlin, more creative attacking responsibility will fall on the shoulders of George Boyd.

However, the player that makes the team tick is the influential Irish midfielder Grant McCann who not only controls the way Posh play, but is also deadly at set piece situations.

Match Facts & Stats

Find out all the previous match facts and statistics HERE.

Ref Watch:

PATRICK MILLER

Carl Brook and Andrew Rodda
Fourth Official Ashley Slaughter

Match Prediction:

Posh again need to be at their defensive best to get anything out of this tough looking game.

If Posh can keep the attacking threat of Pompey to a minimum, they have every chance of sneaking a win.

However, Vital Posh think it could end in a rare 0-0 scoreline.

What do you think the score will be? Post your predictions HERE.