It feels like a 'nothing to lose' occasion for Pompey at Spurs this weekend. No one expects a team with an interim boss and going through a wretched run of form to cause an upset at the new home of a team near the top end of the Premier League.

Having said that, no one connected with PFC wants a hammering in front of nearly 9,000 travelling fans - least of all Simon Bassey, who has assumed control of the team following the sacking of Danny and Nicky Cowley earlier this week.

Bassey is relishing rubbing shoulders with Antonio Conte in his first game as stand-in head coach and he told the club website it was fantastic setting for Pompey to be playing in.

He said: 'I went to the opening game at the stadium and it’s a fantastic arena — one of the best in the world. It’s a great honour to come up against a manager of Antonio Conte’s pedigree. We watched the game against Crystal Palace earlier in the week and they found their form in the second half.

'The challenge is brilliant one and it’s something we’re all looking forward to. It’s not often that Pompey are underdogs, but we will be on Saturday. We take a great following wherever we go and to sell around 9,000 tickets as quickly as we did is fantastic. Hopefully we’ll give them something to shout about.

'It’s a good group here in a difficult moment and we’ll look to give a positive account of ourselves to show there’s some fight left in us. We have to be sensible. In my previous jobs we’ve come up against West Ham, Liverpool and Spurs at Wembley.

'It’s about being in the game and not doing anything stupid. We’ve got a good plan, but they’ve got world class players and we’ll have to be right at our limit.'

Bassey said there were a few injuries in the ranks but midfielder Louis Thompson would be back in the group. 'He’s a fantastic player and is also brilliant around the changing room, so he’s a great person to have in the squad. There’s never a quiet moment when he’s about,' Bassey told the club site.

'Clark Robertson is still undergoing treatment and it’s probably too soon for him, while we don’t envisage any of the others being back in the next 10 days. There are nine subs on Saturday, so we’ll bring some academy boys into the group and that will be a great experience for them.'

Bassey will be assisted by lead professional development phase coach Zesh Rehman.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters