Pompey could be as low as 17th in League One by Saturday night - but wherever they end after the day's matches, it does feel quite important they get at least a point from their televised visit to Gillingham on Saturday.

It's been win-lose-win-lose for a few weeks now for the Blues and if you don't count the League Trophy win over Crawley, they are due a victory in Kent if that sequence is to continue.

Don't go thinking the fact they are facing the side in 23rd place gives them any sort of advantage - that's exactly who they were facing last Saturday when Oldham came to town and no-one needs reminding what happened there.

Looking in the other direction, Pompey are very 'mid-table' at the moment - they're entrenched in it - and if results were to go their way on Saturday and in their own game 24 hours later - they could even break into the top 10.

Blues boss Kenny Jackett is keen his players give a good account of themselves for fans who make the trip east - and for those watching on the TV.

He told the club website: 'It’s a great opportunity for us with the international break meaning that Premier League and Championship sides aren’t playing. The focus falls on Pompey this weekend and it’s up to us to give a good performance and provide a positive reflection of this club.

'Tuesday night helped us and can hopefully give us some confidence, but we all know that competition’s not as important as the league. We’re five points off the play-off positions and five points off the relegation spaces — that’s where we are as a team.

'There haven’t been many draws and we try to really go for games with a large number of attacking players on the pitch. Would we like some more consistency and to move up the league? Yes, of course. That’s our aim, but you have to earn everything you get.

'Gillingham is a tough place to go, so we’ll have to roll our sleeves up and work hard for any points that we can get. Whoever is in charge there on Sunday, we know that they’ll be fighting to improve their position and we have to produce a quality display.'

Pompey hope to have Christian Burgess and Nathan Thompson back to strengthen a defence which struggled without them against Oldham, but Brett Pitman and Conor Chaplin leave the forward line looking thin by being ruled out.

Gillingham have a few selection headaches of their own, especially at the back.

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