Josh Murphy makes return, Conor Chaplin call made – Portsmouth predicted XI vs Middlesbrough
Portsmouth welcome table-topping Middlesbrough to Fratton Park on Saturday to kick off a run of difficult October fixtures.
John Mousinho’s side must take on all of the Championship’s top three at Fratton Park this month, with a trip to Leicester City sandwiched in between these games.
Pompey could do with all hands on deck when trying to navigate these fixtures, and they look set to be boosted by Josh Murphy return from a niggling ankle injury.
Below, Pompey News predicts Portsmouth’s starting XI for this difficult Championship fixture.
Josh Murphy to replace John Swift
Josh Murphy signed a new contract at Portsmouth this week. If he’s fit, he walks back into the starting XI on the left wing.
Yang Min-hyeok enjoyed his best game in a Portsmouth shirt against Watford on Wednesday. He’ll likely start on the right wing, which is his preferred position.
That leaves John Swift, Adrian Segecic and Conor Chaplin battling for a place behind Colby Bishop in attack.
Swift was poor against Watford and is the most likely candidate to make way for Murphy.
Chaplin didn’t have his best game against Watford either. He was hooked off after 63 minutes, but Mousinho looks likely to persevere with him in a bid to help him rediscover his best form.
That would leave Segecic waiting keenly to make an impact as a substitute.
Portsmouth predicted XI: Bursik, Williams, Knight, Poole, Ogilvie, Pack, Dozzell, Yang, Chaplin, Murphy, Bishop
Conor Chaplin will need to step up against Middlesbrough
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Chaplin’s loan move to Portsmouth when it was finalised on transfer deadline day.
Many Pompey fans took to social media to celebrate this deal and reminisce over his successful first spell at Fratton Park.
He hasn’t brought back the magic in his second spell yet, and he may not be given much time to rediscover his peak form.
| Conor Chaplin statistics (Ipswich and Portsmouth) | |
| Appearances | 8 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
If Chaplin does start this game, that will likely mean Swift and/or Segecic waiting on the bench for their chance to make an impact. He’ll need to start brightly to show he deserves his place in the starting XI, otherwise there’s every chance he’ll be hooked off again.
And if he is outshone by Segecic again, he might lose his opportunity to help Pompey from the start in this tough run of fixtures.
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