Swansea City go to Fratton Park tonight (7.45pm). It comes three days after they thrashed Blackburn 4-0.
Vitor Matos warns that the win guarantees them nothing. He says Portsmouth are “a really good team”.
Stephen Eustáquio is a doubt with a groin problem. The Swans hope Marko Stamenic will be back after illness.
Matos on Fratton Park: ‘a really hard place to go to’
Matos says the quick turnaround has left his staff assessing players in a hurry. “We have had to quickly assess the players, and prepare for a game at a ground that is a really hard place to go to,” he said.
John Mousinho’s side have been “consistent this season, particularly at home”, according to the Swans boss.
Pompey are 11th in the Championship, three points off the play-off places, and unbeaten in their last five games.
They were held 0-0 by struggling Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. At home, they have taken 10 points from their last four games, after losing their first two at Fratton Park.
‘It’s a ruthless league’: why the Blackburn win counts for nothing
The Swans bounced back from the 5-0 defeat at QPR in style on Saturday, and Matos was glad to start a three-game week with a win.
He added: “Now we have two away games, two really hard games.”
Consistency is hard to come by in the Championship, he says, so his side have to look at what they are doing well and what they can improve.
He said: “We know that what happens in the previous game does not guarantee anything for the next game because it’s a ruthless league.”
Matos wants the focus on what his side can control, “trying to be competitive and trying to show a proper performance”.
Matos said: “We will have big support with us again, and we want to show them a team that represents the values of the club and the city.”
Stephen Eustáquio groin doubt as Marko Stamenic hopes to return
Eustáquio opened the scoring against Blackburn but went off after 72 minutes. Matos hoped after the game that it was nothing major.
The Canada captain “felt discomfort in his groin”, Matos said, and the Swans are waiting to see if he will be fit.
He added: “We need to assess and really see the extent of that. It doesn’t look serious, but he felt something there, so let’s see.”
Stamenic was withdrawn from the squad for Blackburn after waking up with a fever on Saturday morning. Eustáquio, Jay Fulton and Melker Widell started in central midfield instead.
Ronald out, Moussa Yeo expected to miss Portsmouth
Winger Ronald is definitely out with a hamstring injury.
Fellow wide man Moussa Yeo is expected to be missing again. He is still recovering from the hamstring injury he picked up after West Ham.
Gonçalo Franco, Zan Vipotnik and Adam Idah in line for rotation
With three games in a week, Matos has decisions to make in midfield and up front, and could rotate his side.
Gonçalo Franco is a likely starter in the engine room.
Last season’s top scorer Zan Vipotnik will be pushing for a start. So will Adam Idah, who came off the bench against Blackburn.
Ross Stewart scored on his first start of the season on Saturday, but is unlikely to play twice in four days.
Portsmouth v Swansea City: the key stats
Only Birmingham City, with 13, have taken more Championship points away from home than the Swans’ 12.
Swansea have lost just two of their last 10 away league games, winning six and drawing two. One of those defeats was their last trip, at QPR.
Portsmouth lost both league meetings last season, having gone 13 games unbeaten against the Swans before that, with five wins and eight draws.
The Swans won 2-1 at Fratton Park last season, but have never won back-to-back away league games against Portsmouth.
Pompey have won their last two home league games. They last won three in a row in February and March 2025.
Watch the start. Eight of the 10 away league goals the Swans have conceded this season came in the first half, four of them in the opening 10 minutes.
Birmingham City next at St Andrew’s
After tonight, the Swans go to Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Saturday 7 November (3pm), the one side with more away points than them.
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