The south coast derby is back, this time with the reverse fixture at Fratton Park.
After the first game finished as a tame draw, will this rivalry finally heat up on the pitch?
A game that looks set to be season-defining, who comes on top?
Visitors Southampton appear to have found a new winning formula with a new 4-2-3-1 formation, after the tactical change saw them over the line against Sheffield United on Wednesday. There is no doubt that the personnel is there for the Saints, but will their mentality align?
The visitors have kept just two clean sheets this season, with two out of four coming on the rare occasion when they’ve played a back four – one of which came in the reverse fixture at St Mary’s.
| W | D | L | PPG |
| 8 | 3 | 5 | 1.7 |
Tonda Eckert on the south coast derby: “It’s the most beautiful game of the year, the most beautiful and the most important one.
“We need to dig very deep. I’m very positive that we come away with a good result.”
Hosts Portsmouth will be relying on their fans to create a cauldron of noise at Fratton Park, to help oversee their injury-ridden squad over the line.
Mousinho will be hoping to catch Southampton out, who are a side who don’t go long without making an error leading to goals. This is where the home atmosphere could really count.
On derby day, tactics go out the window – and it often comes down to who wants it more.
Throughout history, Southampton and Portsmouth have faced each other a total of 72 times.
Southampton have come out victorious on 35 of these occasions, boasting an impressive 49% win rate.
The other ties resulted in 16 draws and 21 Portsmouth wins.
The hosts simply need to stay in the game early-on, and win their battles in front of a raucous crowd. Forcing errors from this Southampton team lacking in confidence could see the hosts win the derby for the first time in 16 years.
The Saints need to get over that mental block that always seems to overshadow them. If they can get an early goal, and oversee the early atmosphere in Fratton Park, their quality could get them through against an opposition that could become desperate for inspiration.
This is a game that really could go either way.
Who comes on top?
