Portsmouth host Carlisle United at Fratton Park this Saturday in a clash of opposite ends of the League One table. With both teams pushing for much different objectives this season, three points will be even more important.
Portsmouth currently sit top of the League One table after 12 games. Pompey have eight wins and four draws, leaving them as the only unbeaten team left in the league. On 28 points, Portsmouth are one point ahead of Oxford United, who do have a game in hand.
In their last five games in all competitions, Portsmouth have five wins. Despite Hakeeb Adelakun giving Lincoln an early lead in the fifth minute, Pompey equalised just three minutes later through Paddy Lane. In fact, Portsmouth had a 2 - 1 lead, that they would keep until full time, before halftime thanks to a goal from Regan Poole. Pompey would once again go behind first, this time thanks to a goal from Wigan’s Martial Godo. But once again they had the lead before halftime with goals from Pool and Lane. Charlie Wyke was sent off early in the second half and Pompey held on for a 2 - 1 win.
Portsmouth picked up another 2 - 1 win, this time against Wycombe. Josh Scowen gave Wycombe the lead, but Colby Bishop drew Pompey level in the 58th minute. Conor Shaughnessy then waited until the 98th minute to bag his winner for Portsmouth. Bishop grabbed a brace of penalties against Port Vale as Portsmouth won 2 - 0.
The last time out for Portsmouth was against Gillingham in the Football League Trophy. Tino Anjorin, Ben Stevenson, Kusini Yengi, Abu Kamara and Ryley Towler all scored in the 5 - 1 thrashing of Gillingham.
Carlisle, on the other hand, sit 20th in League One. In 13 games, Carlisle have two wins, five draws and six losses. This leaves them on 11 points, five points above the relegation zone.
In their last five games in all competitions, Carlisle have one win, one draw and three losses. Jokull Andresson was sent off in the 29th minute for Carlisle against Wycombe, who through a penalty from Luke Leahy and a goal from Sam Vokes, managed a 2 - 0 win. The draw came against Peterborough. Ronnie Edwards gave The Posh the lead in the 72nd minute, but Jordan Gibson scored in the sixth minute of extra time to make the game finish 1 - 1.
Carlisle’s win came against Bolton with a wonder performance from Gibson. Jon Mellish gave Bolton the lead through his early own goal, but a hat-trick from Gibson meant that Carlisle took home a 3 - 1 win. However, Carlisle were back to being the losing side in the Football League Trophy. Joshua Powell and Benjamin Perry both scored to give Nottingham Forest’s U21 team the 2 - 0 win.
The last outing for Carlisle was against Leyton Orient. Ruel Sotiriou scored the only goal of the game in the first half as Orient won 1 - 0, Carlisle only registering one shot on target.
Portsmouth and Carlisle have met just 41 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming back in 1965. Portsmouth have the better record in the fixture with 17 wins in comparison to Carlisle’s 13 wins in the fixture with the other 11 games ending in a draw.