17.03.23 Match Preview - Rovers v Portsmouth

Back at The Mem for the second time in four days!

Manager Preview

Player Preview

Opposition View

Pompey boss John Mousinho was full of praise for his opposite number Joey Barton, in particular his ability to get Rovers promoted at the first time of asking following their League One relegation at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Mousinho said: "I think Barton has done an excellent job; if you look at where they were at the beginning of last season, Bristol Rovers were really struggling for form having been relegated the season before.

"There can be a huge hangover from those relegation seasons, there’s a lack of confidence in the club and general malaise sometimes sets in. So, to get them promoted straight away, was a really good achievement. They’ve just rolled on since then."

Mousinho is also wary of former Portsmouth striker John Marquis, who has been in good form recently for the Gas. Mousinho said: "He’s had a really good career at this level. There is a reason why Pompey signed him and there’s a reason that clubs continue to sign him – we have to be very, very wary of that threat.

"From experience, when playing against him, you know you’ve had a really good battle, a good old scrap for 90 minutes. It’s that energy and physicality, he’s not just going to be a big target man but can cause problems with his physicality."

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Form Guide

Rovers: DWDWL
Portsmouth: WWLLW

Last Time Out

Ref Watch

James Bell is the designated match official for our clash with Pompey. This season, Referee Bell has taken charge of just one game in SkyBet League One with the majority of his refereeing appearances coming in the Championship, where he has taken charge of eight games so far this season.

His previous game before this weekend also involved Portsmouth as Bell was the match official for Portsmouth's 2-2 draw against Plymouth Argyle. During that game, Bell handed out six yellow cards and one red card. 

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How To Follow

Tomorrow's game is available via Audio Pass on iFollow!

To find out more about iFollow, please click HERE.

What Are The Odds?

Rovers are priced at 19/10 to beat Portsmouth tomorrow afternoon at The Mem, with the draw currently at 12/5. If you fancy Aaron Collins to open the scoring, the odds are 7/1, whilst Scott Sinclair is priced at 4/1 to score at any time.

Odds correct at the time of writing. To be with SkyBet please click HERE. Please bet responsibly.

Read Time: 2 mins