Portsmouth will start the new year with a trip to the Abbey Stadium as they look to continue their positive run of form when they face Cambridge United in League One on Monday.
The hosts will be aiming to bounce back from consecutive defeats, while Pompey will be looking for successive victories as they bid to improve on the ninth position that they currently occupy.
Match preview
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The hosts will return to action for the first time since December 18 after their festive schedule was wiped out due to a couple of coronavirus-related postponements.
Mark Bonner's side enter the fixture six points above the drop zone after losing to Charlton Athletic and Rotherham United in their last two outings.
In fact, their league form has been less than impressive of late, with the U's winning just once in their last seven League One fixtures.
Draws have been the order of the day for Bonner's men in recent home fixtures, with four of their last eight home league games finishing level.
If they are to collect at least a point on Monday, the hosts are likely to pose more of a threat in the second half, with Cambridge scoring 22 goals in the second period this season – compared to the 10 goals that they have netted in the opening 45 minutes in the league this term.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth will finally take to the field for the first time since December 11 after seeing three of their league fixtures postponed in the final month of 2021.
When they return to action on Monday, Danny Cowley's side will look to continue their current unbeaten league run, which has seen them avoid defeat in their last nine League One games.
In their last outing, Marcus Harness and Connor Ogilvie both netted to guide Pompey to a 2-0 home victory over Morecambe.
That result saw Cowley's men pick up their second consecutive clean sheet, and their strong defensive displays have been key in Pompey's recent success.
They have managed to keep eight clean sheets in their last 11 competitive fixtures, and having claimed shutouts in all of their last three away matches, Pompey will believe that they can claim a positive result on Monday.
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Team News
Cambridge have a number of injury absentees to contend with, and Lloyd Jones will be one of those players missing for the hosts with a groin problem keeping the defender out.
Greg Taylor and Liam O'Neil have taken part in some training sessions this week, but neither player will be fit enough to feature on Monday.
Bonner's side will also be missing Wes Hoolahan and Shilow Tracey due to injury issues.
As for Portsmouth, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Louis Thompson and Clark Robertson have recovered from their respective injuries, but Cowley is unsure if any of the trio are fit enough to play a part on Monday.
The Pompey boss is expected to stick with a back three, with Kieran Freeman, Sean Raggett and Ogilvie set to make up the backline.
Meanwhile, Joe Morrell is likely to return to the starting lineup, which could see Miguel Azeez drop to the bench.
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Williams, Okedina, Iredale, Dunk; Digby, Weir, May; Smith, Brophy, Ironside
Portsmouth possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Freeman, Raggett, Ogilvie; Romeo, Williams, Morrell, Hackett; Harness, Curtis, Hirst
We say: Cambridge United 1-2 Portsmouth
Portsmouth will be looking to avenge the 2-1 defeat that they suffered against Cambridge at Fratton Park in September, and we think the visitors will have enough to edge out their hosts to claim a narrow victory.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Portsmouth win with a probability of 46.83%. A win for Cambridge United had a probability of 27.59% and a draw had a probability of 25.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Portsmouth win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.01%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.25%) and 0-2 (8.37%). The likeliest Cambridge United win was 1-0 (8.01%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.16%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 7.2% likelihood.
