A win for Posh would take them to within six points of Pompey and they would have a game in hand.
It’s a task made all the harder by the absence of Cyprus international midfielder Hector Kyprianou because of suspension.
Here is my ‘to-do’ list if Posh are to beat a side who have only lost four of 38 League One matches.
1) …play at a fast tempo from the start. Posh will be the quicker more athletic all-round team. They mustn’t let Pompey slow the game down. Free-kicks should be taken quickly to keep the game moving as Pompey will try and break play up.
2) …run at the Pompey defence. They have big and strong defenders who won’t like being taken on by forwards with pace.
3) …not concede unnecessary set-pieces. Pompey have scored from a ridiculous number of corners this season, particularly early in the campaign. The last three goals conceded by Posh have come from set-plays (one corner, tow long-throws) something Pompey are bound to have noticed. Kyprianou’s absence doesn’t help. He’s one of the tallest players in a relatively small team.
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4)…thrive in a superb atmosphere. Pompey will enjoy fantastic backing from 4,800 visiting fans and it’s a certainty Posh supporters will rise to the challenge. Posh broke their big-gate hoodoo at Derby County on New Year’s Day when they delivered one of their best displays of the season so there’s no expectation of them wilting on Saturday.
5)…watch out for talented wide players. Posh have the best two wingers in League One, but Pompey have two men who have also caused disruption from wide areas in Paddy Lane and Abu Kamara. They have 17 goals between them, seven fewer than Kwame Poku and Ephron Mason-Clark.
6) …win the midfield battle. Veteran Marlon Pack is one of the better central midfielders in League One, but is he as good as Archie Collins? Surely not and the younger man, plus whoever replaces Kyprianou alongside him, will need to use their superior speed and pure passing ability to take control of a key battleground.
7)…test Will Norris. Posh are familiar with the Pompey goalkeeper. He’s much better than many remember, but they’ve seen him let shots in from the halfway line.
