Mousinho ‘sweating on Hayden’ ahead of Portsmouth’s crucial clash with Blackburn
John Mousinho may have to make a huge call regarding Isaac Hayden ahead of Portsmouth’s clash against Blackburn Rovers at Fratton Park.
Post the international break, Portsmouth will host Blackburn on 29 March. John Mousinho’s side will be hoping to bounce back from the previous defeats to Preston and Plymouth.
Mousinho already has eight players unavailable for the Blackburn game and now there could be the addition of Hayden.
The Jamaica international is on international duty and is scheduled to play in CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers.
Mousinho may have to leave Hayden out of Blackburn clash
Hayden has impressed in Pompey colours since arriving on loan from Newcastle United in January. The defensive midfielder has played 11 Championship games since then, starting eight of those games.
Hayden played 90 minutes against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday (21 March) with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. The second leg is scheduled to take place in the early hours of Wednesday morning UK time.
| Opposition | Home/Away |
| Blackburn | Home |
| Millwall | Away |
| Coventry | Away |
| Derby | Home |
With Hayden an important part of the Jamaica squad, it is almost certain that the midfielder will feature for Steve McClaren’s side.
Mousinho will keep one eye on Hayden as he is set to play in the early hours of Wednesday in Jamaica and then take a long flight back to the UK.
With Pompey playing on Saturday afternoon, Hayden may not attain the desired level of match fitness before the game because of lengthy travel.
In such an instance, Mousinho will have to take a call and rest the 30-year-old midfielder for the Blackburn game.
Mousinho must axe Yengi in Portsmouth v Blackburn
Aside from Hayden, there is also a decision to be made on Kusini Yengi.
Yengi started the previous game against Preston North End but had minimal impact up top as Pompey lost the game 2-1. He was taken off after 68 minutes as the Australian was indecisive in front of the goal.
The 26-year-old has joined Portsmouth back in 2023 and since then made 42 appearances, netting 13 goals in the process.
The Blackburn clash is a decisive one and Mousinho cannot experiment with Yengi. Instead, he should start Colby Bishop up top.
The Blackburn game is a must-win for Portsmouth as they are just four points above safety.