Pack benched, imminent new signing to start – Portsmouth predicted XI v Reading
Portsmouth will take on Reading at The Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday.
John Mousinho’s side kicked off their pre-season by winning matches against Woking and Farnborough, before emerging 1-0 victors behind-closed-doors, against League Two side Crawley Town on Saturday (19 July).
Reading will be their fiercest test yet, the League One side having finished just outside the play-off positions last season.
New signings Adrian Segecic and John Swift will expect to be involved from the off, whilst Mark Kosznovszky, who reportedly underwent a medical at Pompey on Tuesday (22 July), could also feature.
Lang to start v Reading
Callum Lang’s future at Portsmouth has faced doubts in recent days. The forward was the subject of a bid worth around £2million from Preston North End.
The bid was turned down, and talk of a move has died down following Lang’s return to training after missing out against Crawley.
And the Englishman could now return to the starting line up against Reading, with Mousinho keen to get minutes back in his legs before the season opener.
Nicolas Schmid is expected to keep his place in goal, with Jordan Williams, Hayden Matthews, Conor Shaughnessy and Connor Ogilvie likely to line up in front of him – the latter having scored a brilliant goal against Crawley.
Swift and Kosznovszky, if his signing is confirmed in time, could line up behind Lang, with Segecic, Josh Murphy and Colby Bishop completing the front three.
Mousinho could hand Kosznovszky debut
Kosznovszky’s signing is expected to be confirmed imminently. The midfielder will arrive at Fratton Park after a deal worth around £1m was agreed with MTK Budapest.
Blackburn had looked to hijack the deal for the 23-year-old, but Mousinho looks to have got his man and could hand him his debut on Saturday.
Kosznovszky is expected to add energy and quality to the midfield at Portsmouth, and, paired with Swift, the two could form an exciting duo.
| Mark Kosznovszky | In all competitions (2024/25) |
| Appearances | 30 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 5 |
Both players possess the ability to turn away under pressure and also carry a powerful shot in their arsenal.
Mousinho would have hoped to add creativity and goals to his midfield this summer, and he should have those in abundance with the arrivals of Swift and Kosznovszky.
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