Hvornår har Pompey sidst tabt på eget græs?

Efter nederlaget ude mod Ipswich i ligaen i weekenden, så er Pompey i action igen tirsdag aften, hvor det gælder Aston Villas U21 i EFL Trophy.

Gruppespillet er stadig i gang i turneringen, og her går der to hold videre, så en sejr vil lune meget i forhold til denne turnering, som dog ofte ikke bliver prioriteret specielt højt af de deltagende klubber.

Her er stillingen inden kampen:

I turneringen er der dog krav om at bestemt antal spillere fra førsteholdet skal være på banen, men der plejer at være meget spilletid til unge talenter og de spillere der ikke har fået så meget spilletid.

Aston Villas U21 hold er at finde i næstbedste række blandt akademierne, her er rækkerne opdelt med 10 hold i rækken, og med en placering som nummer 7, ja så er Aston Villas U21 hold at regne som nummer 17. Seneste kamp blev dog tabt med 2-6 til WBA U21 hold.

Fem kampe har Aston Villa U21 spillet i denne sæson og de har hentet fem point i deres turnering. I deres første kamp i EFL Trophy, ja der tabte de med 1-2, så et nederlag ville betyde et exit.

At der bliver brugt mange ressourcer på akademierne i Premier League er der ingen tvivl om, og staben hos Aston Villa tæller 20 mand, og efter sigende så bruger klubben £10 mio om året på deres akademi!

Det er mere end hvad Pompey har i omsætning på et år!

Pompey

Efter sæsonens første nederlag I League One, så er Pompey nok interesseret i at bounce back, om end at det kan være manager Danny Cowley vælger at spare profiler og ikke prioritere turneringen.

Hvad mange fans måske ikke helt kan huske, så har Pompey faktisk ikke tabt hjemme på Fratton Park siden 31. januar 2022, hvor Charlton vandt 1-2. Siden da er det blevet til 15 kampe uden nederlag, så på eget græs har Pompey faktisk fået bygget det op til Fort Fratton!

Pompey-manager Danny Cowley

«We were frustrated to lose our unbeaten run at Ipswich on Saturday, but now we have an immediate opportunity to try to get back to winning ways. Villa have an excellent academy and I remember watching them in the 2021 FA Youth Cup final, when they beat Liverpool.

They’ve really invested in their facilities, their staff and their players, bringing in a lot of talented young players.

I saw them in the Papa Johns Trophy last season and they represented the club well, so we’re looking forward to the game. We have the opportunity to bring some academy players into our group, while there will be others who need minutes. Josh Oluwayemi always impresses me in training – he’s very athletic and makes saves that don’t look possible at times.

He has a wonderful wingspan and although he’s still young and learning his trade, we’ve enjoyed working with him because he has an infectious personality. Joe Pigott is another great character, who’s really popular in the dressing room. He has a dry sense of humour and is good to be around. He adds something different to our side and is a cool, composed finisher who can score in a variety of ways.

It will also be good to see Denver Hume back in action at Fratton Park and to get some minutes into him.”

Pompeys Recco Hackett-Fairchild

“It’s a great chance to bounce back after the Ipswich defeat and I’m sure there will be a freshening up of the team.

“The game provides a good opportunity for those players who haven’t been involved as much to show what they can do.

“We need to keep pushing the boys who have been in the team to ensure the squad remains competitive.

«The game provides a good opportunity for those players who haven’t been involved as much to show what they can do.»

 “You have to constantly apply pressure to make sure that nobody gets too comfortable and that’s why it’s important we have a strong squad.

“We’ll be facing good young players with a lot of energy and if we don’t attack the game with the right mindset, then we’ll get hurt.

“I don’t think that will be a problem with the group we’ve got this season, though, and everyone knows what needs to be done.”