Portsmouth predicted XI vs Reading: Kosznovszky and teammate in line for debuts
Portsmouth take on Reading in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, with John Mousinho expected to make many changes to his team.
Mousinho’s strongest XI travelled to Oxford on Saturday and came away with a 1-0 win.
Adrian Segecic scored the only goal in that game and impressed many onlookers with his performance. Fellow debutants John Swift and Florian Bianchini also impressed, having started that game.
Even so, the majority of starters from the trip to Oxford are expected to be rested for this match.
That means the likes of Mark Kosznovszky and Luke Le Roux could make their competitive debuts at Fratton Park.
Kosznovszky and Le Roux expected to make Portsmouth debuts against Reading
Kosznovszky and Le Roux both signed for Portsmouth late in July for undisclosed fees. A lot is expected of the centre-midfielders, although they’ve barely had any time to integrate with their teammates, let alone get used to the pace of English football.
This Carabao Cup tie should therefore serve as the introduction. It’s a competition that neither side will be taking as seriously as the league, but it will serve as an opportunity to see how Pompey’s fringe players can perform.
Read more: Who is Mark Kosznovszky? Midfielder that lit up Hungary ready to join Portsmouth
Hayden Matthews, Ibane Bowat and Jacob Farrell could all return to the starting line-up for the first time after long injury lay-offs, while loan stars Bianchini and Yang Min-hyeok could also start.
Predicted XI: Killip, Swanson, Matthews, Bowat, Farrell, Kosznovszky, Le Roux, Yang, Devlin, Bianchini, Waddingham
Portsmouth strength in depth could be unveiled against Reading
Portsmouth have bought well in the transfer window, but there are still some concerns that they don’t have the necessary strength in depth to avoid a relegation battle.
A good performance from this starting XI on Tuesday could help to quash these fears.
Mousinho has high hopes for the likes of:
- Matthews
- Bowat
- Farrell
- Le Roux
- Kosznovszky
However, these young stars simply haven’t played enough to prove their worth to the fans yet.
These players and the two loan signings will be keen to show what they can do against Reading, and prove that they can be trusted to start games in the Championship.
Mousinho might have some of Portsmouth’s big names on the substitutes bench, but the feeling around Fratton Park is that he’d rather not risk these players suffering an injury in a game of this magnitude.
If the Pompey boss was to list his priorities for the season, a Carabao Cup run wouldn’t even make the first page of his notebook.
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