John Mousinho already confirms key player will miss Portsmouth’s clash vs Southampton
Portsmouth’s trip to Southampton is less than a month away and plans are already being made for the big derby game.
The fixture has already been moved to 14 September – a Sunday – so it can be broadcast on ITV.
Players are already being asked about it in press conferences. Pompey fans have already been given safety instructions even though the tickets haven’t even been released yet.
It will be the first time Portsmouth visit St. Mary’s since David Norris scored his famous late equaliser in April 2012.
Yet, John Mousinho has already delivered some bad news on the injury front.
Marlon Pack set to miss South Coast derby with knee injury
Portsmouth captain Marlon Pack had a scan on his knee injury this week, and the results suggest he could be missing from action for around six weeks.
That would mean he misses the trip to St. Mary’s, among other key fixtures for the Blues.
Pack had previously shared his excitement about captaining Portsmouth for this game, saying it would be the ‘icing on the cake’ for his Pompey career.
Now, it looks like he’ll have to wait for the return fixture at Fratton Park, scheduled for 25 January 2026.
Mousinho revealed the bad news during his pre-match press conference before the fixture against Norwich City.
The silver lining from that interview was that Josh Murphy is expected to return to the team to face West Brom next week.
Portsmouth building strength in depth to cope better with injuries
At the start of the summer, Pack was one of the only centre-midfielders on the books at Portsmouth.
Mousinho had previously relied on loan signings Freddie Potts and Isaac Hayden, but they had to be returned to their parent clubs.
Thankfully, the Pompey boss has worked some magic in the transfer market, recruiting John Swift, Mark Kosznovszky and Luke Le Roux to fill this gap.
| Date | Result |
| 18 December 2011 | Portsmouth 1 Southampton 1 |
| 7 April 2012 | Southampton 2 Portsmouth 2 |
It means the loss of Pack might not be as consequential for Portsmouth as it could have been.
Pack was born in Portsmouth and brought up through the club’s academy, but so was Swift, and he’ll be looking forward to this fixture as much as anyone.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you’re born in Southsea or South Africa; if you’re a Portsmouth player, you’ll quickly learn about the importance of this match.
Whoever puts on a Pompey shirt that day can be trusted to give their all for the cause.
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