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Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Portsmouth and Preston North End, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Portsmouth will welcome Preston North End on Saturday for an important game at the bottom end of the Championship table.

With both teams winless in four league games, the hosts find themselves at the bottom of the division, while their visitors only lead the relegation zone on goal difference.

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Match preview

Portsmouth return to action on Saturday aiming to move off the bottom of the Championship table and end a four-match winless streak.

After winning promotion from England's third tier last time around, they have endured a tough start to the campaign, picking up just nine points from their first 14 outings having only managed one victory alongside seven defeats.

That sole victory came away at Queens Park Rangers in mid-October, and John Mousinho's side have failed to build on that since, firstly suffering back-to-back defeats to Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday before taking a point from a goalless stalemate away at Hull City last weekend.

A trip along the south coast to Plymouth Argyle then followed on Tuesday, and Pompey left empty-handed as Michael Obafemi netted the only goal of the game eight minutes from time, leaving Mousinho's men one point behind 23rd spot and six adrift of safety.

Now returning to Fratton Park with the league's worst home record, having only earned three points on their own patch, and with no other side in the division having conceded as many as their 27 goals at this stage, Portsmouth will be desperate to kickstart a climb with a return to winning ways on Saturday.

Their visitors will also aim to end a tough run at the weekend to give themselves a cushion over the bottom three.

Across spells under Ryan Lowe and new boss Paul Heckingbottom, who took over in August, Preston North End sit on 15 points from their first 14 Championship outings, with only three of those games ending in victories for the Lancashire outfit.

Two of those triumphs came either side of a creditable goalless draw with rivals Burnley in a pleasing run in October, and while their unbeaten streak was stretched to five matches with draws against Norwich City and Plymouth Argyle, they have since formed the start of a four-game winless run.

Bristol City visited Deepdale and took all three points from a 3-1 win last weekend, before the Lilywhites most recently hosted league leaders Sunderland on Wednesday and took a share of the spoils as the contest ended goalless.

Now only leading 22nd-placed Plymouth Argyle on goal difference, while sitting just three points off the top half and four off the top nine, Preston North End will bid to quickly strengthen their standing with a win on the road as the division continues to take shape.

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Team News

Portsmouth should remain without first-choice goalkeeper Will Norris due to an injury on Saturday, while Colby Bishop, Paddy Lane, Conor Shaughnessy and Jacob Farrell are all confirmed absentees.

In Norris's place, Nicolas Schmid will continue between the sticks, while Tom McIntyre will again join captain Regan Poole in the middle of the defence.

Marlon Pack should return to the midfield after Andre Dozzell and Freddie Potts started against Plymouth, while Mark O'Mahony could come back in and lead the line with support from Matt Ritchie, Callum Lang and Josh Murphy.

After Wednesday's display and draw against Sunderland, Paul Heckingbottom could field an unchanged Preston North End starting XI on Saturday, other than an enforced alteration at the back with Liam Lindsay having picked up a knock.

He will likely join Will Keane, Robbie Brady and Patrick Bauer in the treatment room, while Milutin Osmajic remains suspended, and Jack Whatmough should come in to join Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes in the back three.

From a midfield trio alongside Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen will offer support to the front two of Sam Greenwood and Emil Riis.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:
Schmid; Williams, Poole, McIntyre, Ogilvie; Potts, Pack; Ritchie, Lang, Murphy; O'Mahony

Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Whatmough, Hughes; Potts, Frokjaer-Jensen, Whiteman, McCann, Kesler-Hayden; Riis, Greenwood

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We say: Portsmouth 1-2 Preston North End

With both sides desperate for three points to strengthen their position in the fight at the bottom end of the Championship, we anticipate a tight contest at Fratton Park on Saturday.

Given the hosts' defensive frailties, we back Paul Heckingbottom's men to end their wait for a fourth league victory of the season.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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