Currently sitting in a strong position at the top of the League One table, Sheffield Wednesday will look to take another big step towards automatic promotion on Saturday, when they make the long trip to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth.

The Owls currently sit level on points with second-placed Plymouth and five ahead of third-placed Ipswich Town, with two games in hand on both, while their hosts' slim playoff hopes took a major on Tuesday at the hands of Barnsley.

Match preview

Following the departure of former manager Danny Cowley early in the new year, with the side sat on 31 points from 23 league games, John Mousinho took over as Portsmouth boss, and he has enjoyed an impressive start to life in management and at Fratton Park, overseeing an upturn in form which has seen Pompey keep hold of a glimmer of hope in the playoff race.

In his 11 matches at the helm in England's third tier thus far, Mousinho has overseen six victories, while they have only suffered three defeats, adding 20 points to their tally in that time as a result.

Three of those wins came consecutively in February, as the Hampshire outfit thrashed Cheltenham Town 4-0 before beating Bolton Wanderers and Cambridge United 3-1 and 1-0 respectively to surpass the 50-point mark in their 33rd league outing of the campaign, before aiming to continue building momentum as they most recently travelled to take on fourth-placed Barnsley at Oakwell.

Pompey would be unable to leave with a result, though, having trailed 2-0 going into half time, and while Colby Bishop pulled a goal back quickly after the interval, Devante Cole restored the hosts' two-goal lead and ensured that Mousinho's men travelled south empty-handed.

As sixth-placed Derby County did also fall to a defeat in midweek, the gap between the sides remains at 10 points with Pompey sat 10th having played one match fewer, while they boast two games in hand on Bolton Wanderers who sit 12 points better off in fifth spot, and they will know that they must once again build a winning run if they are to continue climbing from 10th spot and reduce the gap to those sides to keep themselves in the playoff fight for the run-in.

That is no easy task, though, as they welcome a Sheffield Wednesday side who arrive in formidable form as league leaders.

After sitting third for most of the first half of the season, Darren Moore's side now appear to be storming towards automatic promotion, having not suffered a single defeat in their last 21 League One outings, largely thanks to their strong defensive record with the 22 goals they have conceded being six fewer than any other side in the division.

That 21-match unbeaten run includes 15 victories, and the Owls have now won 10 of their last 11 league games and each of their last four, firstly beating Morecambe and MK Dons 3-0 and 5-2 respectively, before putting up back-to-back 1-0 triumphs heading into the weekend.

Liam Palmer's early goal made the difference as they secured all three points away at Charlton, before most recently hosting Peterborough United last weekend, in which Jaden Brown netted the only goal of the game of the hour mark to keep his side ahead of second-placed Plymouth on goal difference.

That position at the summit is despite the South Yorkshire outfit having two games in hand on Plymouth and Ipswich Town, who lead the chasing pack in the fight for automatic promotion to the Championship, and with a healthy five-point lead over the latter in addition to their extra matches, Moore's men can take another huge step towards sealing a top-two finish with what would be an impressive win on the South Coast to make it 23 three-point hauls for the season.

Team News

Portsmouth will continue to deal with several injury issues, as Clark Robertson, Jay Mingi, Marlon Pack and Zak Swanson remain sidelined, although Tom Lowery has recently returned to the midfield after a long layoff of his own.

He could again operate in the middle of a supporting trio behind lone striker Colby Bishop, who netted his 15th league goal of the season in their defeat to Barnsley in midweek, with Dane Scarlett, Owen Dale, Michael Jacobs and Paddy Lane fighting for the other spots in the attacking unit.

Without Pack available for selection, Schumacher should again deploy Ryan Tunnicliffe and Joe Morrell at the base of the midfield, while January signing Ryley Towler will continue to play alongside Sean Raggett in the middle of a back four.

Following their home victory last weekend, Sheffield Wednesday could travel to Fratton Park with an unchanged starting XI, with recent arrival Aden Flint again set to be joined in a back three by Dominic Iorfa and Akin Famewo in the continued absence of Ben Heneghan and Michael Ihiekwe.

Captain and talisman Barry Bannan will continue to play a key role in the engine room, likely alongside George Byers and Will Vaulks, although the likes of Dennis Adeniran and Tyreeq Bakinson are fighting to come in from the outset.

At the top end of the pitch, Moore should stick with the established forward pairing of Josh Windass and Michael Smith, having each netted 10 league goals so far this season while the former also boasts seven assists in England's third tier.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:
Macey; Rafferty, Raggett, Towler, Ogilvie; Tunnicliffe, Morrell; Jacobs, Lowery, Scarlett; Bishop

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Dawson; Iorfa, Flint, Famewo; Palmer, Byers, Vaulks, Bannan, Brown; Windass, Smith

We say: Portsmouth 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Saturday's trip is certainly not a straightforward one for the League One leaders, as they meet a resurgent Portsmouth outfit, but Darren Moore's side will be full of confidence and certainly have momentum on their side, and we can envisage them returning to South Yorkshire with another victory in their increasingly more impressive season.


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