Has John Mousinho already made his excuses for Portsmouth's clash vs Southampton?

John Mousinho has heaped praise on Southampton ahead of Portsmouth's game at St. Mary's on Sunday.

Pompey face off against Southampton in the south coast derby this weekend, and will be hoping to pick up a huge three points.

Mousinho's side had some momentum behind them before the international break, and are currently on a three-game unbeaten run.

They picked up five points against the likes of Cardiff, Charlton and Blackburn, strengthening their position in the Championship.

Southampton will feel like they have all the momentum in their favour in this one, given the FA's weak verdict after handing Tonda Eckert a small fine and a suspended six-week ban for his involvement in Spygate.

Portsmouth fans will be watching the game full of hope that their side can pull off the win, though Mousinho may already be bracing himself for the worst.

Has John Mousinho made Portsmouth excuses already ahead of Southampton?

Portsmouth have long-term ambitions to become a Premier League club, while Southampton are aiming for promotion this season.

Pompey managed to stay up thanks to an eight-point gap that separated them in 18th and Oxford United in 22nd.

However, there is an expectation from Michael Eisner and Co. that progress is made this season. That means not being afraid of any team.

However, speaking ahead of the derby, Mousinho admitted his side were the underdogs for the game.

He said, as quoted by the Southern Daily Echo: "Southampton have got a squad that came down from the Premier League a couple of years ago.

"They've strengthened it since; they've kept a lot of the players over the summer despite the circumstances of what happened at the back end of the season.

"[A] very strong squad, very well resourced, so yeah, [they're] very heavy favourites in my eyes."

Mousinho alluded to the fact that the hosts have won all four games at home, admitting it's a good "test" for his own side.

It feels like the 40-year-old will already have his excuses ready if his side loses this weekend, and will likely make the cliché parachute payment claim.

It could be mind games, but it also will not be a good look if Pompey go there and lose.

The Blues spent around £10.6million this summer, keeping hold of key players too, like Adrian Segecic and Terry Devlin, which shows Mousinho's men should be ready for a fight, not making excuses already.

The £50m figure that puts Mousinho's excuse to bed instantly

Everyone knows that Southampton are currently benefiting from parachute payments, so there is no need to bring it up in press conferences.

But the truth is, they tried to get back into the Premier League at the first time of asking last campaign, failing to do so even after spying on several Championship clubs.

There is no reason to fear them, and if anything, Eckert's side has only gotten worse.

According to Transfermarkt, Southampton sold over £50m worth of players this summer, so Mousinho's claim that they have kept hold of plenty of players misses the part where they also sold key individuals.

His comments may not age well with fans if Portsmouth lose this weekend.