Championship | Gameweek 36

Mar 9, 2025 at 12pm UK

Fratton Park

Portsmouth vs Leeds

Match preview

Prior to their defeat to Luton, Portsmouth had gone on a three-match winning run to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Pompey recorded 2-1 home wins over Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers, either side of a 2-0 away win over Oxford United, before going down 1-0 at Kenilworth Road thanks to a first-half strike from Luton midfielder Jordan Clark.

Despite the loss to the Hatters, 17th-placed Pompey remain in a strong position to avoid an immediate return to the third tier, with eight points separating them from the bottom three going into the weekend.

They will be relishing their return to familiar surroundings at Fratton Park, having won eight, drawn two and lost just one of their last 11 home games.

Portsmouth have scored at least two goals in eight of those 11 home matches, while they have conceded no more than one goal in any of those games.

Pompey may be winless in their last five meetings with Leeds, but they can take heart from the fact that they have avoided defeat in each of their last five home league encounters with the Yorkshire club (W2, D4).

Leeds are leading the Premier League promotion race after winning 22, drawing 10 and losing just three of their 35 league games this season.

They are on a 17-match unbeaten run (W12, D5) and are three points clear of second-placed Sheffield United and five points clear of third-placed Burnley.

Daniel Farke's side had won five successive league games before being held to a point at home by West Bromwich Albion last Saturday after Junior Firpo's opener was cancelled out by Darnell Furlong.

The result was only the fourth time Leeds have dropped points at Elland Road this season, with one of those coming in the reverse fixture against Portsmouth, when the two sides played out a 3-3 draw on the opening day of the season.

The Championship leaders take the league's top scorers to the south coast with 72 goals to their name and will hope their firepower will prove too much for a Portsmouth side who boast the second-worst defensive record in the second tier.

If Leeds are to record a fourth successive away win, they will have to beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park for the first time since a 3-2 victory in April 1986.

Recent Performance

Portsmouth Championship form:DLWWWL

Leeds United Championship form:WWWWWD

Leeds United form (all competitions):WLWWWD

Team News

Hayden Matthews is the latest Pompey player to be ruled out for the rest of the season, joining Callum Lang, Paddy Lane, Ibane Bowat and Jacob Farrell.

Bristol City loanee Rob Atkinson is out for six to eight weeks with a calf injury, while the hosts are also without Jordan Williams and Conor Shaughnessy.

Pompey boss John Mousinho could be tempted to make a number of changes to his side, with Freddie Potts and Kaide Gordon among those in contention for a starting berth.

Thomas Waddingham, who joined Portsmouth from Brisbane Roar in January, could come in as a substitute after making good progress in his recovery from a minor groin strain.

For the leaders, Ethan Ampadu and Max Wober remain sidelined with knee injuries, while Patrick Bamford is ruled out with a calf problem.

Striker Mateo Joseph will be assessed after picking up an ankle problem during his substitute appearance against West Brom.

Farke must decide whether to stick with Joe Rothwell as Ao Tanaka's central midfield partner or offer 24-year-old Ilia Gruev a recall.

Championship top scorer Joel Piroe will be looking to add to his 15 league goals when he leads the line against the South Coast outfit.

Possible starting lineup

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Swanson, Pack, Poole, Ogilvie; Hayden, Potts; Gordon, Aouchiche, Murphy; Bishop

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo; Rothwell, Tanaka; James, Aaronson, Solomon; Piroe