Portsmouth vs Ipswich Preview

Last updated : 13 February 2012 By Jim Bonner

With administration looming, Portsmouth fans and players know that victory over Ipswich Town tomorrow night is vital in the fight for Championship safety.

Team News

Pompey are set to be unchanged from the 1-1 draw at Blackpool on Saturday as David Norris and Luke Varney remain on the sidelines.

Ibrahima Sonko will be denied a return to his former club after dislocating his rib in Saturday's abandoned match with Middlesbrough. Lee Bowyer may return following a groin injury.

The Match

If Friday's High Court hearing goes according to plan, then Pompey may well end the week in the bottom three if they fail to beat Ipswich tomorrow night.

If it doesn't go as planned, there is every chance that this may be Portsmouth Football Club's final match at Fratton Park.

Whatever Friday's outcome might be, a passionate home crowd should be guaranteed tomorrow as fans remain defiant in face of the absolutely dire situation our club is in.

Whilst there may be plenty of protests at the likes of Balram Chainrai and Andrew Andronikou in the stands, it's important we stay behind the players who have been excellent despite the issues of not being paid and possible loan moves away.

The way Michael Appleton has conducted himself during these desperate times has been outstanding and so he deserves all the plaudits he gets.

From a football perspective, it will be interesting to see how the players react to what should be a fervent Fratton Park atmosphere. The team has been set up to play away from home, so there might be some tactical adjustment required if we're to take advantage of the Tractor Boys' brittle back line.

Whatever happens during the game, we need to show Paul Jewell that we are one of the reasons why Joel Ward, Jason Pearce and Stephen Henderson decided to snub him and stay with us.

But victory has not been more important this season as a win would guarantee that Pompey stay out of the relegation zone regardless of what Coventry do against Leeds, Doncaster do against Blackpool and Forest do at Middlesbrough.

I believe we can win and beat our problems on the pitch by the time the season comes to an end. However, I am not so confident that the off-field issues will be resolved by then.

Play Up Pompey!

Predicted Starting Line-Ups

Pompey

GK: Stephen HENDERSON

RB: Tal BEN-HAIM

CB: Jason PEARCE

CB: Ricardo ROCHA

LB: Greg HALFORD

RM: Kelvin ETUHU

CM: Liam LAWRENCE

CM: Hayden MULLINS

LM: Joel WARD

SS: Erik HUSEKLEPP

CF: Marko FUTACS

Ipswich

GK: Arran LEE-BARRETT

RB: Aaron CRESSWELL

CB: Tommy SMITH

CB: Damien DELANEY

LB: Carlos EDWARDS

RM: Jay EMMANUEL-THOMAS

CM: Luke HYAM

CM: Andy DRURY

CM: Lee MARTIN

LM: Darryl MURPHY

CF: Michael CHOPRA

Last Time: Portsmouth 0 Ipswich Town 0 (Championship - 11/09/2010)

Both sides missed a good chance or two in this utterly forgettable draw that left Steve Cotterill and Roy Keane frustrated with the stalemate.

My Prediction

Given how well we've been playing despite results suggesting otherwise, I think we can beat an Ipswich side that are no better than us with a loud home crowd behind the team. It could be some night.

Portsmouth 2 Ipswich Town 0