Controversial Preston star looks set to miss Portsmouth clash in potential boost
Portsmouth will hope to climb the table with a morale-boosting victory against Preston on Saturday.
The Blues are yet to win at Fratton Park this season, but they’ll fancy the chances of turning that around at the third time of asking.
Pompey have shown great resilience at the back in their away games this season, while Colby Bishop and Adrian Segecic have started the season brightly in attack.
Meanwhile, an encouraging piece of injury news may further boost Portsmouth’s hopes of securing a good result.
Preston striker Milutin Osmajic could miss Portsmouth match with rib injury
Preston may have already beaten promotion hopefuls Ipswich and Leicester already this season, but they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Wrexham last night.
Paul Heckingbottom made several changes to his side, but they brought on Milutin Osmajic in the second half as they went in search of a winner.
However, Osmajic only lasted 10 minutes before being withdrawn with a rib injury, and is now a fitness doubt for the Portsmouth game.
Osmajic is a Montenegro international and has scored in all three of Preston’s Championship matches so far.
Last season, he made headlines after being hit with an eight-game ban for biting Blackburn’s Owen Beck.
Portsmouth could be grateful for Carabao Cup exit as games come thick and fast
One of Portsmouth’s home defeats came in the Carabao Cup at the hands of Reading.
Some fans expressed frustration with this result, but it could prove to be a blessing in disguise as the fixtures pile up over winter.
As nice as it might feel for Championship clubs to win a couple of cup fixtures in August, the chances of it leading to a memorable run are remote.
More likely, a run in this competition will only cause even more fatigue and injuries.
| Date | Opponent |
| 30 August | Preston (H) |
| 14 September | Southampton (A) |
| 20 September | Sheffield Wednesday (H) |
| 27 September | Ipswich (A) |
| 1 October | Watford (H) |
Preston fans will be fuming at the news that Osmajic might miss some league games, especially as they lost the cup tie against Wrexham and got knocked out anyway.
Their loss could be Portsmouth’s gain as the striker has just a few days to recover to be fit for the fixture at Fratton Park.
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