Portsmouth v Blackpool: Injury problems for Pompey ahead of Seasiders' trip to Fratton Park

Blackpool face unbeaten Portsmouth in what is their biggest challenge to date so far in the League One season.

Pompey are top of the table with 10 wins and six draws, with their only defeats this season coming in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. Should the Tangerines want to send a message, and make a statement that they're in the promotion race, then a win at Fratton Park would sure go a long way towards doing that.

It's not all gone plain sailing for John Mousinho and his side, however, and on Saturday they could potetially be without up to seven players. The south coast outfit are navigating through several injuries, and two of them will play no further part in the 2023/24 campaign.

Regan Poole tore his ACL in the FA Cup defeat to Chesterfield, and now there is one less defender available to Mousinho, with the Wales international expected to be out until October 2024. Youngster Josh Dockerill faces a similar fate after he suffered ACL damage in his right knee in pre-season.

To make matters worse, following the defeat to Chesterfield, it was revealed that on-loan Chelsea midfielder Tino Anjorin would be missing for at least two months. He tore his hamstring on November 5, and is expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks of the season.

Despite the current international break, one of Pompey's international stars didn't feature for his respective country. Paddy Lane suffered a calf injury in the 2-2 draw with Charlton Athletic. And having been unable to train with his countrymen, he withdrew from duty last Wednesday, making his status for the match on Saturday questionable.

Portsmouth captain Marlon Pack has missed the last nine matches after suffering an ankle ligaments injury against Wigan Athletic on September 30. Pack has returned to training and is in contention to return for the hosts.

Left-back Connor Ogilvie has had a stop-start few months because of injury, and is back on the sidelines with an akle injury sustained against Cambridge United. He suffered ligament damage similar to Pack, with a return date next month expected.

Meanwhile, midfielder Tom Lowery has been unavailable for selection since sustaining a knee injury on the opening day of the season. He has returned to 'modified' training, and could make a push to be involved against Blackpool. However, he would likely be limited to a substitute role at best.

Winger Anthony Scully is a confirmed absentee for the hosts, having been out since the end of August with a knee injury. He is expected back in the new year.

As a result of his and Anjorin's absence, Portsmouth signed free-agent Josh Martin last week to compliment the squad.