Preview: Wrexham vs Portsmouth - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to strengthen their grip on a playoff place, Wrexham welcome Portsmouth to the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday night in a Championship clash that could significantly affect both ends of the table.

The Red Dragons arrive on a high after a dramatic comeback victory in an eight-goal thriller, while Pompey boosted their survival hopes with an impressive 3-1 win away at Millwall.

Match preview

Fresh off a stunning 5-3 win over Ipswich Town, who now sit two places and three points above the Welsh side, Phil Parkinson will now be targeting a third consecutive unbeaten outing as his side look to create breathing space inside the playoff positions.

Twice coming from behind against one of the division’s strongest sides underlined Wrexham’s resilience and attacking quality, and scoring five goals against top-tier opposition highlighted their ability to trouble any team as the season enters its decisive stretch.

Following their promotion to the Championship last season, Wrexham have so far taken well to life in the second tier well and have given themselves an outside chance of successive promotions and breaking into the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Heading into matchweek 34, the Welsh side currently occupy the final playoff spot with 51 points to their name having won 13, drawn 12, and lost eight.

Victory here could open up a useful gap to the chasing pack, further strengthening their bid to secure a playoff berth heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

Portsmouth, meanwhile, travel to North Wales in improved spirits after back-to-back victories, most recently a deserved 3-1 triumph at Millwall that marked their second away win in London inside five days.

A Gustavo Caballero goal 30 seconds into the second half, along with strikes from John Swift and captain Marlon Pack ensured just their fourth win on the road all season and puts a six-point gap between John Mousinho's side and the relegation zone.

They have now scored at least three goals in three matches since New Year’s Day, matching a tally they managed only twice across the opening five months of the campaign, and that added firepower could prove crucial in their bid to steer clear of trouble.

Despite the recent surge of goals, they are still among the lowest scorers in the division but their improved form in front of goal offers encouragement as they look to build further distance from the bottom three over the remaining fixtures.

These two sides lock horns for the second time this season, and also just the second time since 1986, after playing out a goalless draw back in November.

Wrexham Championship form:

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Wrexham form (all competitions):

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Portsmouth Championship form:

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Team News

Following the big win over Ipswich Town, Parkinson would have been hoping to name an unchanged XI but will be unable to do so.

Ben Sheaf was replaced in the early stages and will be unavailable to Wrexham; George Dobson is a likely candidate to come in.

Although Zak Vyner has returned to training in recent weeks, it would appear that Tuesday's game will come too soon for Wrexham's January signing.

Liberato Cacace and Matty James are also both closing in on a return to action but will not play a part in their Championship run-in just yet.

Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass started on the bench against Bristol City but combined for the first goal after just six minutes and then again for their second just before the break, so expect the pair to start again on Tuesday night.

Mousinho and his Pompey team are dealing with an extensive injury list and will once again be without a number of key players for this one.

All of Conor Chaplin, Josh Murphy, Keshi Anderson, Florian Bianchini, Franco Umh and Thomas Waddingham will be on the sidelines.

They are joined on the sidelines by Mark Kosznovszky, Conor Shaughnessy, Hayden Matthews, Josh Knight, Andre Dozzell and Aji Alese, leaving Mousinho with limited options as he prepares his matchday squad.

On a more positive note, Harvey Blair returned to the matchday squad on Saturday following his time in the treatment room.

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Okonkwo; Cleworth, Hyam, Doyle; I. Kabore, Dobson, O'Brien, Thomason; Windass, Moore, Rathbone

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Devlin, Poole, Ogilvie, Swanson; Pack, Adams; Caballero, Swift, Alli; Bishop

We say: Wrexham 2-2 Portsmouth

Despite being at opposite ends of the table, these two come into this one in similar form. With that in mind, we expect this to be a closely fought affair with the points being shared on the night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.