Preview: Portsmouth vs Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Two relegation rivals will face off when Portsmouth welcome Leicester City to Fratton Park for Saturday's Championship encounter.

Pompey, who occupy 19th place, have taken a giant leap towards safety with back-to-back victories, while the Foxes are languishing in 23rd spot and in need of a signicant upturn in results if they are to avoid the drop.

Match preview

Portsmouth were set to finish last Saturday in the bottom three until Conor Chaplin netted a 97th-minute winner against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Just three days later, Pompey moved four points clear of danger with another successful outing against a promotion-chasing side, Ipswich Town.

Conor Shaughnessy and Colby Bishop scored in the closing stages of the first period as Portsmouth ran out 2-0 winners to seal their first home win since January and end Ipswich's nine-game unbeaten run.

Having collected 48 points from 42 games, John Mousinho's side are now one win away from breaking the 50-point barrier, which would more than likely be enough to secure a third consecutive season of Championship football.

That said, Mousinho will be warning his side against complacency as Portsmouth prepare to host Leicester for the first time since playing out a 1-1 draw in a Championship encounter in November 2011.

In fact, that has been the scoreline in the last three meetings at any venue, which has helped Pompey form a five-game unbeaten run in head-to-head games.

Leicester, who lost their appeal against a six-point deduction earlier this month, are on the brink of suffering back-to-back relegations after winning just once in their last 16 league games (D6, L8).

Gary Rowett has failed to spark an upturn in fortunes since he took over the reins in February, having overseen one win, six draws and three defeats in his 10 games in charge.

The Foxes played out three consecutive draws before they fell to a narrow 1-0 loss in their most recent outing against Swansea City.

Zan Vipotnik's 53rd-minute effort proved enough to condemn Leicester to their sixth defeat in eight home games, leaving them five points adrift from safety with just four games left to play.

Leicester, who have drawn their last five away games, head to Fratton Park knowing that only a win will do if they are to have a realistic chance of remaining in the division, but that will be easier said than done for a club that has not won an away league match since beating Derby on December 6.

Their last competitive win over Portsmouth took place in an away EFL Cup tie in September 2010, while their most recent league success came via a 3-1 scoreline in a Premier League encounter in May 2004.

Portsmouth Championship form:

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Leicester City Championship form:

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Team News

Portsmouth are unable to call upon Zak Swanson, Mark Kosznovszky, Josh Murphy and Gustavo Caballero due to injury.

Midfielder Ebou Adams, who has been sidelined for the last four games, is in a race against time to prove his fitness for Saturday's fixture.

Ipswich loanee Conor Chaplin will return to the matchday squad after being ineligible to face his parent club in midweek.

As for the visitors, they are without the defensive trio of Ben Nelson, Caleb Okoli and Victor Kristiansen.

Midfielder Jordan James returned from injury to feature as a substitute against Swansea, but the Wales international is continuing to struggle with a heel issue and will have to be assessed ahead of the weekend.

It also remains to be seen whether Aaron Ramsey will be fit to feature in a matchday squad for the first time in 2026.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Devlin, Poole, Dia, Williams; Pack, Dozzell; Segecic, Chaplin, Alli; Bishop

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Stolarczyk; Pereira, Lascelles, Vestergaard, Thomas; Skipp, Winks; Fatawu, De Cordova-Reid, Mavididi; Daka

We say: Portsmouth 1-1 Leicester City

Portsmouth will be full of confidence after claiming back-to-back wins, but that may be feeling the effects of those exploits as they prepare for their third game in a week.

As a result, Pompey may lack the intensity required to claim all the spoils, but we think they will do enough to prevent Leicester from claiming a much-needed victory.

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