League One
by Tom Young
Date: Saturday November 25, 2019
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bristol
BRISTOL Rovers will look to put the shock midweek defeat to Bolton behind them as they host Portsmouth at the Memorial Stadium.
The 2-0 defeat to Bolton – who are still on minus five points following a 12 point deduction at the start of the season – was the second on the bounce for Rovers, who sit in 14th place ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.
Their opponents have also had a mixed start to the season and currently sit in 16th place, five points adrift of Bristol, albeit having played two games less.
Graham Coughlan admitted that the criticism his side received following the shock defeat was fully deserved. He called on them to dust themselves off ahead of the ‘big, big game’ this Saturday.
“Let’s try to bring a little bit of togetherness and let’s try to get up for Saturday because it’s another big, big game on Saturday,” he said.
“Getting rid of the Doncaster game and getting rid of the Bolton game can only be done if we go there and perform on Saturday and win the game”
There are no fresh injury concerns for Rovers going into the game.
Defending hasn’t been a problem for Portsmouth this season with only table topping Ipswich have conceding fewer goals, scoring has been a concern.
Head coach Kenny Jacket has challenged his side to find that goalscoring touch, starting this weekend against Bristol Rovers.
“Whether you’re creating the chances is irrelevant – the bottom lines is how many you score. It’s a big thing.
“That might be about creating more openings, or it might be about being more clinical when they do come along.”
Pompey have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, with Jackett selecting from the same side that defeated Lincoln City in midweek.
“We’ll be working with the same group that we had for the Lincoln game on Tuesday evening.”
Brett Pitman, Oli Hawkins and Bryn Morris remain unavailable for the visitors.