It's a day short of three months since Pompey's last competitive game, and they find themselves back at Fratton Park for the start of a new campaign as Luton visit for the League One opener.

They kick off with hopes high among fans that Kenny Jackett can engineer a serious bid for promotion.

This first test will be a good indicator of how far the Blues have come since the end of last season, as a new-look home team comes up against one of the newly-promoted clubs.

Lee Brown, Ronan Curtis, Craig MacGillivray and Tom Naylor are all set to make their competitive debuts although Louis Dennis seems likely to have to settle for a place on the bench.

Sonny Bradley, once of this parish, is in line to make his Luton bow after a summer move from Plymouth.

Jackett is itching to get his team started on their second season in League One. He told the Pompey website: 'It’s certainly exciting at the beginning of a new season as you wait for the real stuff to get underway.

'Luton is a big game and when you include the cup tie against AFC Wimbledon, three of our first four fixtures are at home, so we have a chance to establish ourselves at Fratton Park.

'It’s a big opportunity for us and one we want to take. We want to establish ourselves in these opening weeks. Fratton Park has a special atmosphere and the fans will be looking to get behind and encourage the players. It’s a challenge we have to take up.

'We want to try to get one of those three promotion spaces and if we get into the top six then it will be an improvement. But every side will be saying the same thing — and rightly so. At this stage you should have aspirations to be successful.

'There will be bumps in the road and you don’t know when they’ll come along, but the more preparation you do, the more you can get over them.'

Jamal Lowe is out with a minor injury picked up against FC Utrecht while Dion Donohue is still recovering from illness.

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