Wycombe Wanderers v Portsmouth

THE CHAIRBOYS
A LOOK AHEAD TO THE NEXT 90 MINUTES
A SEE-SAW SCHEDULE OF LEAGUE AND CUP FIXTURES BRINGS ABOUT A LEAGUE 1
ENCOUNTER THAT LOOKED UNLIKELY TO GO AHEAD DUE TO INTERNATIONAL CALL-
UPS, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT POINTS ON THE BOARD WHILE OTHER CLUBS
REST UP AT HOME IS ONE THAT BOTH MANAGERS WILL BE EAGER TO GRAB.
Wycombe fell short last time
out at Adams Park, losing their
perfect home record in an
unwanted emphatic fashion as
Ipswich Town left South Bucks
with all three points – the first
away club to do so since Luton
in April.
The 11-day break between
league games caused a couple
of headaches, too, with a
much-changed side – enforced
by illness and injury – held to a
draw at Hartlepool on Saturday,
requiring a replay at Adams Park
on Tuesday night.
The final game of the Papa John’s
group stage saw Wanderers
take on Burton, with both sides
already out of the competition,
and the Brewers’ decision to field
several first-team regulars in a
bid to secure a morale-boosting
victory paid off, as they scored
five times without reply after
the break to condemn a young
Chairboys side to defeat.
So the last fortnight has brought
about a fluctuation in form
compared to this time a month
ago, when the Blues were
formidable at home and steady
on the road, collecting three
successive clean sheets.
But today’s visitors are equally
unpredictable, demonstrating
promotion-winning credentials
with triumphs over Sunderland
and Bolton in recent times, but
also suffering heavy defeats to
Rotherham and Ipswich.
Cups have been a welcome
distraction for Danny Cowley who
lost on his last visit to Adams
Park with Lincoln in his final game
before departing for Huddersfield
in September 2019. They
overcame Harrow in the FA Cup
last weekend, and Crystal Palace
U21s in midweek, to restore that
winning habit and stretch their
unbeaten run in all competitions
to five.
Having taken 10 points from the
first four games of the season,
they’ll feel underwhelmed at
their 14th-place standing after 16
games, but the seven-point gap
to the play-offs can be quickly
bridged, while Wycombe know a
win today would put them level
on points with current leaders
Wigan.
HEAD TO HEAD
Wanderers won 1-0 in the last
encounter with Pompey at Adams
Park, when Adebayo Akinfenwa’s
late penalty separated the sides
on a boiling hot day in September
2019. Pompey won the reverse
fixture 2-0 on Boxing Day.
Portsmouth are just ahead in the
head-to-head rankings, claiming
five wins to Wanderers’ four,
with four draws. It’s all square at
Adams Park, though, with two
wins apiece, and two draws.
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