BOLTON Wanderers welcome Portsmouth to the UniBol on Saturday looking to get back to winning ways in League One.
From likely line-ups to the referee and the odds, find all you need to know below.
Likely line-ups
Wanderers (4-3-3): Matthews; Emmanuel, Nsiala, Edwards, Hamilton; Lowe, L Murphy, Darcy; Dodoo, D Murphy, Politic.
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Bass; Bolton, Burgess, Raggett, Seddon; Naylor, McGeehan; Harness, Cannon, Curtis; Harrison
Opposition manager
Kenny Jackett was appointed manager of Pompey in June 2017 and has won 77 of the 150 games he has been in charge. They currently sit in eighth place, one point outside the playoffs. He has previously had spells at Rotherham, Wolves, Millwall, Swansea and Watford.
Headline News
Defender Jack Whatmough captained the reserves at Plymouth in his first game since injuring his knee last February. (Portsmouthfc.co.uk)
Pompey will shortly submit a planning application to commence phase one of the proposed redevelopment of Fratton Park. (Various)
John Marquis’ refusal to sulk has been praised after he pressed his claim for a recall after coming off the bench to score the winner against AFC Wimbledon (Portsmouth News)
Who makes them tick?
At the back: Christian Burgess - At 6ft 5in, he is a towering figure. He has played 23 times this season and has more than 150 league appearances for Pompey.
In the middle: Tom Naylor - Captain of the side and is a versatile player who can operate as either a defensive midfielder or centre-back.
Up front: Ronan Curtis - Top scorer from the wing this season for Pompey with 10 league goals. A move may be on the horizon, with Blackburn Rovers the biggest admirers.
They said it
“The main thing is that we got all three points, although we should have punished them more in the first half.
“They made it tough at times – that’s football for you. But we showed the right mentality to end up with three points.
"We just need to be a bit more consistent and hopefully that will be the case in the second half of the season.” Midfielder Andy Cannon reflects on his side’s performance in their 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon.
Head-to-head history
Played – 98
Wanderers wins – 42
Draws – 22
Portsmouth wins – 34
Bookies’ odds
Bolton win – 5/1
Draw – 3/1
Portsmouth win – 4/7
Referee
Tom Nield - The West Yorkshire official has issued 62 yellow cards and two reds in his 21 games this season. He last took charge of a Wanderers game on the opening day back in August, as a young Bolton side lost 2-0 at Wycombe.
Fixture trends
Portsmouth have only won twice away from home in the league this season. Their previous victory was on November 23 at Rochdale.
Of the 19 points Bolton have accumulated this campaign, 15 have come at the University of Bolton Stadium. The last meeting at the ground was a Premier League fixture in April 2010, which finished 2-2.
Trivia
The Football League’s first floodlit match took place at Fratton Park on 22 February 1956, in front of 15,000 fans. Newcastle United defeated Pompey 2-0.
Tickets
Adults - £20, over 65s - £12, under 23s - £12, under 18s - £10
League One fixtures
Accrington Stanley v Southend United, AFC Wimbledon v Peterborough United, Doncaster Rovers v Coventry City, Fleetwood Town v Shrewsbury Town, Gillingham v Oxford United, Lincoln City v Blackpool, MK Dons v Sunderland, Rotherham United v Bristol Rovers, Tranmere Rovers v Ipswich Town, Wycombe Wanderers v Rochdale.
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