Portsmouth v QPR preview: Team news, head-to-head, line-ups, prediction
Portsmouth are on the hunt for three straight wins in the Championship as Queens Park Rangers visit Fratton Park.
John Mousinho’s side approach the contest in encouraging form, having beaten both Cardiff City and Oxford United in their last two fixtures.
The Oxford win last time out (15 February) was just the Blues’ second away win of the campaign to date, the first coming during the reverse fixture against this weekend’s opponents back in October.
Portsmouth face an improved QPR
When Portsmouth last met QPR at Loftus Road with both sides looking pretty doomed in the league, Mousinho’s men leapfrogged their opponents and consigned them to the foot of the table.
This was on 19 October, and since then, both clubs have admirably kept faith with their respective managers, Mousinho and Marti Cifuentes both still in post and have since improved their fortunes.
QPR are now 13th in the table, five places and eight points clear of Pompey. With the Championship as tight as it always is, the Hoops are now outside play-off contenders, sitting just four points adrift of sixth-placed West Brom.
Championship form guide
Portsmouth: WWLDL
QPR: WLWLL
Head-to-Head
Portsmouth and QPR have met 30 times in competitive clashes, Pompey of course winning the last earlier this season.
The Blues were also 2-0 winners at Loftus Road in the previous meeting in the League Cup in 2019. This avenged another contest in West London six months earlier, this time in the FA Cup, which QPR won by the same scoreline in a replay from a 1-1 Fratton Park draw.
Before Pompey won the last two showdowns with QPR, they were without a win in nine meetings stretching back to 1998, six of them ending in draws, and five of those by a 1-1 scoreline.
Portsmouth v QPR team news
Portsmouth are rocked by the news that top scorer Callum Lang has been ruled out for what is likely to be until the end of the season.
Conor Shaughnessy is also missing for the Blues and the duo head up a list which still includes Paddy Lane, Jacob Farrell and Jordan Williams.
Freddie Potts remains a doubt having sustained a calf strain which has ruled him out of the past two wins, as former QPR duo Andre Dozzell and Isaac Hayden are expected to partner up in Pompey’s midfield.
Adil Aouchiche could be the man to come in as Mousinho makes a sole change, while Hayden Matthews should continue his role at centre-half.
Regan Poole and Kusini Yengi are both fit, but currently lack match fitness and so are unlikely to start.
As for QPR, key players such as Zan Celar, Jake Clarke-Salter and Karamoko Dembele are anticipated to be ruled out.
Cifuentes will be looking to maintain as much of the starting XI as possible from their previous outing, a 4-0 hammering of Derby County last Friday (14 February).
Predicted line-ups
Portsmouth: Schmid, Swanson, Matthews, Atkinson, Ogilvie, Dozzell, Hayden, Ritchie, Aouchiche, Murphy, Bishop.
QPR: Nardi, Dunne, Cook, Edwards, Paal, Varane, Field, Smyth, Chair, Saito, Frey.
Score prediction: Portsmouth 3-1 QPR
Had this contest been away from home, it could have been a different story. QPR were a force to be reckoned with against Derby, but Fratton Park has become a fortress.
Even without Lang, Portsmouth look incredibly confident with a fast-paced attack at home, the supporters roaring as the 12th man.
Colby Bishop will be on the hunt for more goals and Josh Murphy has been in terrific form. Without Shaughnessy, a clean sheet has become less likely, but Pompey should have too much for their visitors.
The Blues got the monkey off their back by winning away, but must continue their excellent home form to ensure they are not whisked back into a relegation dogfight.