Oxford United vs Portsmouth preview: Team news, lineup, prediction
Portsmouth kick off their second campaign back in the Championship when they travel to the Kassam Stadium to take on Oxford United.
The pre-season preparation is done, and now the long wait for football to return is over as John Mousinho's Pompey side return to action on Saturday (9 August).
Portsmouth have had an exceptional record in pre-season and will be hoping to translate that winning form over to their Championship campaign.
Here, Pompey News previews the opening game against Oxford, including team news, lineups and a predicted score for the match.
Form Guide (All competitions, including friendlies)
Oxford: WDLWD
Portsmouth: WDWWW
Team news
The lineup is expected to be unchanged from the XI that Mousinho opted for in their 1-0 win over Zwolle in their last pre-season fixture.
Thomas Waddingham is expected to lead the line given Colby Bishop's recent groin injury, with Josh Murphy, Adrian Segecic and Callum Lang all set to provide that creative spark behind the Australian striker.
It will be interesting to see who Mousinho deploys in the number ten role out of Lang and Segecic, but their versatility gives the Blues' boss the option of switching them around during the game.
- Lang is coming off the back of an incredibly impressive campaign in the attacking midfield position
- The 26-year-old recorded 10 goals and two assists in the Championship last season.
Predicted lineup
As mentioned, the front four of Waddingham, Murphy, Segecic and Lang are set to spearhead the attack, with the travelling Pompey fans keen to see Segecic make his Championship debut.
Further back in midfield, John Swift is expected to make his debut in his newfound deeper role in the engine room alongside Andre Dozzell.
Conor Shaughnessy could partner Regan Poole in the heart of defence, with Jordan Williams and Connor Ogilvie rounding out the back four.
To no one's surprise, Nicolas Schmid is set to begin the next campaign in between the sticks for Pompey.
Prediction: Oxford 1-1 Portsmouth
If Pompey want to improve upon their 14th place finish last season, improving their away record is a must.
The Blues only managed to pick up three wins on the road last season, and they cannot afford to be so poor away from Fratton Park again this season.
Expect a relatively cagey game whilst new arrivals such as Segecic and Swift find their feet in the game and continue to gel with their new teammates.
Oxford will be eager to start their campaign on a positive note, but ultimately we can see the shares being spoiled on the day.
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