Kosznovszky debut, Mousinho drops star – Portsmouth predicted XI v PEC
Portsmouth continued their pre-season campaign with a 0-0 draw against Havant and Waterlooville on Tuesday (29 July) night.
A youthful Pompey outfit made the short trip to their local non-league opponents, as John Mousinho opted to hand the majority of his key first-team contingent the night off.
Ben Killip spared Portsmouth’s blushes with a crucial penalty save in the final knockings of the encounter, as the shot stopper potentially staked a claim to challenge for the number one shirt.
Pompey round off their summer preparations on Saturday (2 August), when PEC Zwolle visit Fratton Park, and with that in mind, Pompey News predicts the starting XI to take on the Dutch visitors.
Kosznovszky to debut v Zwolle, Lane dropped
Paddy Lane’s performance was cause for concern for Portsmouth in their most recent outing, as the winger struggled to impact the game against the seventh-tier opponents.
The 24-year-old was the most senior figure in the starting XI, but he was surprisingly quiet, and that is highly likely to result in him dropping out of the side against Zwolle.
Mousinho will surely name a strong side to take on the Eredivisie outfit, who will likely be the strongest team that his charges have faced so far.
However, the 39-year-old boss will be desperate to get a look at the most recent additions to his squad, and that will likely see both Mark Kosznovszky and Luke Le Roux handed debuts in the midfield.
Nicolas Schmid is likely to return between the posts, while the back four could revert back to the unit that opened up against Reading last weekend.
Pompey may line up with a new look pairing at the base of their midfield in Kosznovszky and Le Roux, while Jacob Murphy could be set to return in place of Lane.
Portsmouth team v Zwolle could resemble opening day lineup
Portsmouth are set to line up against Oxford United as the Championship returns on 9 August, and it would be no surprise if their XI to take on Zwolle ultimately closely resembles the side that will face the U’s.
Mousinho’s side already feels relatively settled, although there could well be space for Kosznovszky or Le Roux to stake a claim to start, if either catch the eye on Saturday (2 August).
The initial requirement for the pair will primarily be to get up to speed with the rest of the squad in terms of fitness, but strong performances obviously won’t be sniffed at by Mousinho.
We are now at the stage of pre-season where the boss will likely have a strong idea of what his best XI looks like, but his use of the squad depth could be crucial as the gruelling Championship season unfolds.
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