Portsmouth

Leicester City will look to edge closer to pace makers Coventry City on Saturday evening (19:45 BST) when they welcome Portsmouth.

The Foxes could go into second spot with a win should Middlesbrough fail to take all three points in their game against Ipswich on Friday.

Pompey do seem to have resolved their away day misery from last season though and will be looking for second win on the road.

However, with Leicester only seeing one loss so far this season, it'll be quite the task for the side to claim victory at the King Power.

• This will be the first league meeting between Leicester City and Portsmouth since 2011-12, with both games that season in the Championship ending 1-1.

• Portsmouth are unbeaten in their last two league visits to Leicester City (W1 D1), while they've scored on each of their last six trips (9 in total).

• Leicester City are unbeaten in their last six home league games (W4 D2), having lost nine in a row at the King Power Stadium beforehand. The Foxes last had a longer unbeaten home run between November 2023 and February 2024 (8 games).

• Since the start of last season, no Championship team has lost more away games than Portsmouth (16), while Pompey have the worst defensive record in that timeframe (53 goals conceded).

• Leicester's Abdul Fatawu has had 88 take-ons in the Championship so far this season – 51 more than any other player. He also leads the way for opposition half take-ons (74), fouls won after a take-on (8) and shots following a take-on (6).

Andre Dozzell says a mentality shift on the road could be the key to Portsmouth reaching the "next level" in the Championship.

The midfielder has started every league game this season, playing all but 15 minutes, as Pompey have picked up a dozen points from their opening nine games.

John Mousinho's visit Leicester on Saturday (19:45 BST) knowing victory would make it eight points on the road so far this season, more than half the number they earned in the whole of last season.

"It's a big week," Dozzell told BBC Radio Solent. "We know that if we're on it we can beat anyone, we just have to find that confidence, even when we go away we have to believe we can win.

"We have to go and turn the draws into wins when we go away and hopefully we can improve on last season.

"I do feel like the performances away this season have been much better. We have spoken about it, maybe it's a mentality thing, we have been working on it, but if we can turn the draws into wins that's how you get to the next level."

Dozzell joined Pompey last summer from QPR and while he was heavily involved last season, making 32 league starts, he believes he is having more of impact this term, albeit with the constant need for improvement.

"I'm happy to have played all the games so far," Dozzell added. "I've just got to keep it going. That's my aim, to play every game.

"I'm in a good patch right now but we are only nine games in, the key for me now is consistency and staying on top of my game.

"I can get a lot better. Goals and assists are a big thing in football now, I want to improve my numbers, but even if I don't get them I feel I can still help the team in other ways.

"I have to keep working hard, listening to the staff and take it one game at a time."

Listen to the full interview with Dozzell and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has confirmed that winger Josh Murphy is not set to return until the side host Stoke later this month.

The 30-year-old has been on the sidelines with an ankle issue for the past four games and Mousinho says he will not rush him back.

"We are still monitoring Murphy's situation," Mousinho, whose side host Stoke on 25 October after games at Leicester and at home to Coventry, told BBC Radio Solent.

"We've been very cautious with him and will continue to be [for] the next week or so.

"I think we are most likely going to see him for the Stoke game rather than Leicester or Coventry.

"At this stage of that injury, because it's dragged on a little bit, we have to give him extra time."

There is also "no imminent return" for forward Callum Lang (hamstring), goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid (hand) or defender Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring), while winger Franco Umeh (leg) is around "four to five weeks" away.

Portsmouth visit Leicester City on Saturday (19:45 BST) in search of a second away win of the season.

Pompey have claimed five points on the road so far this campaign, more than a third of the amount they accumulated away in the entirety of last season (14).

Mousinho added: "I think we are a bit more defined in terms of our playing style away from home. We've tried to build ourselves on being more solid and maybe a bit more pragmatic.

"One of the positive things for us, it's not something that has just clicked into gear this year. Post-West Brom last year [5-1 loss in January], we became more competitive away from home."

Listen to the full interview with Mousinho and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

Portsmouth defender Regan Poole sits down with Chris Wise and Andrew Moon to discuss his hopes for the season, injuries and his career.

How do you go from being released at 15 by Cardiff to playing for Manchester United in Europe in just a few years?

Listen here for Poole's take on the Championship play-offs being a realistic goal for this season and his own doubts after a recent injury.

He also reveals he turned down more money from another club to make the move to Fratton Park in 2023.

Click here to subscribe to Portsmouth FC on BBC Sounds and download your favourite episodes.

Tom Chappell
Fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

Image source, PA Media

Saturday was easily Portsmouth's best win of the season, and perhaps a show of faith to ourselves that we are a team. Not only capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the division's best, but also the ability to go one better and beat them.

At last, Pompey's season may well have officially begun, via the medium of a result and performance that was overdue, particularly at Fratton Park.

Pompey grew into the first half nicely. Whilst Middlesbrough were early off the blocks, we dealt with the pressure suitably, and once we scored, looked the better side until half-time.

When a side flying at the top of the division visits, there is always going to be moments of pressure and spells of stress - but I felt we dealt with that sternly, and were defensively excellent.

Any interjections keeper Josef Bursik had to make were measured and well-timed, without him really needing to be properly relied upon. Regan Poole and Josh Knight have devised a strong centre-back partnership in no time. And it was another strong day for full-backs Jordan Williams and Connor Ogilvie.

Marlon Pack provided another elegant, professional display in midfield - his talent for playing a pass over the top, cutting out four players, and immediately placing Pompey on the front foot is remarkable. Many will be calling on John Swift for a bit more by way of input, but it is important to say that his performance dramatically improved from that of Wednesday night in the draw against Watford.

Colby Bishop had a proper task against some of the division's most experienced defensive operators, and I am convinced that very soon Conor Chaplin's second Pompey stint will click into gear. He very nearly scored twice on Saturday.

Yang Min-hyeok's winner was struck with such finesse and accuracy. He has got a natural eye for the back of the net, and his return for goals this week demonstrates that. Another gem of a player that, if provided time, could prove to be a real difference-maker for Pompey this season.

This is all with the underscore that Josh Murphy, Callum Lang and Conor Shaughnessy will all (some sooner rather than later) return, and be ready for involvement once more.

Pompey did what Pompey often do. When you least expect a big result such as Saturday, we have a tendency to pull it out of the bag. There certainly will not have been many expecting Saturday's result pre-game, even more so given the manner in which it came.

And just to close, a word on some upsetting news after the game. Milan Mandaric was one of the greatest custodians of Portsmouth Football Club, and to hear of his passing is incredibly sad.

'He woke us up and even took us up' - there's only one Milan.

Image source, Rex Features

Marlon Pack's return to the Portsmouth side is important for their prospects this season, according to former Pompey midfielder Danny Rose.

The captain made his first two starts of the campaign in last Wednesday's draw with Watford and in the weekend win over Middlesbrough - and Rose was impressed with the impact Pack made in midfield on Saturday.

"He was really instrumental for many reasons," Rose told BBC Radio Solent's podcast Who Needs Mourinho?

"He was barking orders, demanding the ball, trying to make things tick which was impressive because against Middlesbrough it's difficult to do as they try to press and make it difficult but he was really brave."

Pack, 34, missed the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery but returned as a substitute at the end of September, scoring in a 2-1 loss at Ipswich - and Rose believes his impact is already being felt.

"I also picked up on the out-of-possession stuff with the press and shape - he was really orchestrating that and communicating when to press and when not to press, a lot of stuff that goes unnoticed," Rose said.

"Hopefully, Marlon can stay fit because he was instrumental in the first half (against Middlesbrough) and in the second helped the team manage the game well. I think just his presence in the middle of the pitch is important."

Listen to the full episode of Who Needs Mourinho? and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

Laura Kenyon
BBC Final Score reporter at Fratton Park

Image source, Getty Images

Portsmouth and Middlesbrough each had just one shot on target at Fratton Park. Safe to say neither side will be happy with that return – a stat which leaps out from the graphics page, and must surely be a thought-provoker for both managers.

The difference, though is, Pompey took that solitary moment, converted it, and came away with all three points. Boro did not, and it cost them not only their place at the top of the table, but their unbeaten start to the Championship season.

Rob Edwards spoke about it after the game, saying they were not good enough in the final third, despite making multiple attacking changes.

It poses two key questions: who will emerge as Middlesbrough's prolific goalscorer this season, and could unlocking that be pivotal in their bid for automatic promotion?

Former Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric understood what it meant to be a supporter of the club, according to BBC Radio Solent commentator Andrew Moon.

Mandaric has died at the age of 87 having owned Pompey from 1999 to 2006, during which time he saved the club from going out of business and oversaw a promotion to the Premier League in 2003.

"Nowadays there are loads of football club owners who you don't know what their voices sound like, they can be pretty faceless," said Moon on the latest edition of BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth podcast, Who Needs Mourinho?

"We all know what Milan sounded like and there were elements of him in an owner of what you didn't want in an owner - he was temperamental, probably sacked managers too quickly, he was not a level head with a win or a loss - he was up, he was down.

"But he got it, he got Portsmouth Football Club, he got the city, he got what success would mean."

You can listen to the latest episode of Who Needs Mourinho? and past editions on BBC Sounds

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho spoke to BBC Radio Solent after their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough:

"We spoke on Thursday about the importance of this game and how it would shape how the start of the season for us has been mentally.

"Getting the win was great, and it feels like we have had a good start to the season. Results matter in this game and today we managed to get the job done.

"We knew it was going to be tough and once we settled into the game I thought we were really good.

"My overall thoughts was that it was a brilliant performance and there was loads of improvements from Wednesday night against Watford."

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

Image source, Rex Features

A much needed win for Portsmouth. Just like Wednesday, they led 1-0 at half-time. This time they made it count.

It wasn't a particularly pretty second-half showing. Middlesbrough were the better side, however Pompey dug in, kept their discipline and ensured goalkeeper Josef Bursik wasn't overworked.

Defensively Josh Knight has slotted in well in the absence of Conor Shaughnessy. Yang Min-hyeok isn't going to replace Josh Murphy, no one will, but two goals in four games is very encouraging.

12 points from nine games is a fair reflection for Portsmouth's start to the season. On their day they can match anyone in the division but when not at their best, they will struggle.

The defensive record is excellent, in front of goal they can improve. Murphy's return will help. If they can get Conor Chaplin and Colby Bishop firing they can be a force in the Championship.

These two are on very different trajectories heading into their game at Fratton Park.

Middlesbrough remain unbeaten and head the table by two points while Portsmouth have taken only two points from their past four games.

This will be only the third league meeting between the sides in 13 years with Pompey taking four points from last season's two games.

• Portsmouth have lost just one of their past eight league games against Middlesbrough (W2 D5), a 3-1 defeat in March 2012.

• Middlesbrough have won just two of their past 13 away league games against Portsmouth (D4 L7).

• Portsmouth have lost each of their past two league matches played on a Saturday and could lose three on the bounce on this day for the first time since February 2022.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten in all eight of their Championship games this season (W5 D3), last having a longer run without defeat from the start of a campaign in 2011-12 (11).

• Middlesbrough have earned eight points away from home in the Championship this season (W2 D2), more than they had in their final 11 on the road in 2024-25 (W2 D1 L8).

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has admitted his frustration surrounding the injury to winger Josh Murphy.

Murphy has missed the last three Championship fixtures after suffering an ankle injury, last featuring in the South Coast derby against Southampton.

"It's a frustrating one, it's sort of day to day and week to week, and it's just not quite right at the moment so it's definitely not one where we're going to risk it." Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"We're still looking to push things but it's a frustrating one for both parties where we seem close and then far away and day to day we take a judgement on where he is and how fit he is.

"It's not more serious, it's just a little niggly one that we can't quite get right at the moment."

Mousinho also gave an injury update before Pompey's next Championship assignment against Middlesbrough on Saturday (15:00 BST) at Fratton Park, with no fresh concerns.

Harvey Blair replaced Yang Min-hyeok on 63 minutes during Wednesday's 2-2 draw against Watford to make his first appearance of the season.

Jordan Williams also made way for Terry Devlin on 72 minutes after having started his first game since a 2-1 loss against Norwich in August.

"We've got a clean bill of health from last night, it was good to see Harvey get the minutes and get through that," Mousinho added.

"All the other substitutions were tactical, so Jordan [Williams] was flagging a bit, the amount of physical output that we needed from him going up and down that right hand flank particularly with the way we were trying to play meant that we decided to make that substitution."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.