Southampton already have upper hand over John Mousinho before a ball’s been kicked

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Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has tonnes of pressure on his shoulders this weekend as he prepares to take on Southampton in the first South Coast derby for six years.

With Portsmouth retaining their second tier status last season and Southampton dropping down from the Premier League, the two rivals are finally in the same division once more.

The last meeting between the two teams, a Carabao Cup tie back in 2019, ended in a huge 4-0 win for the Saints. It’s actually been a little under 13 years since the last league meeting, so the upcoming Championship fixture is a pretty big deal.

Southampton and Portsmouth fans are arguing over which team is more successful, but John Mousinho won’t be thinking about the past at all; especially given his own record against Southampton.

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John Mousinho has never beaten Southampton

Naturally, Mousinho has not been a manager for long, and so this is the first time he will have faced Southampton as a coach. However, he does have a small sample size to look at as a player.

Turns out, Mousinho played against Southampton twice in the 2009/10 campaign for Wycombe Wanderers. His team lost 1-0 at St. Mary’s and drew 0-0 at home.

He missed the opportunity to face the Saints back in 2004/05 when he was on Brentford’s books, having not been included in the squad for the fifth round FA Cup clash and the subsequent replay. Funnily enough Brentford didn’t win there either.

Can Mousinho finally land his first victory over Southampton in what is arguably the biggest game of his managerial career to date? No pressure!

• READ MORE: Southampton man must impress Will Still this Championship season as he faces last chance at Saints

All signs point to a Southampton win vs Portsmouth

Looking at the Southampton XI available to Will Still, you’d have to make them the overwhelming favourites for the impending clash. On paper, Pompey just cannot match the sheer depth and quality the Saints have got in their ranks.

Southampton spent £48m in the summer window, which dwarfs the £3.6m spent by Portsmouth. When you consider the positive net spend for Southampton thanks to the big sales of Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes, it just becomes even more apparent how big a gap there is between these two rivals.

Still, while Southampton have the advantage in terms of squad, resources, and even the historical head-to-head, football is simply not played on paper. If you look at the league table right now, you’ll find Pompey up there in eighth place while the Saints are down in 13th place.

It’s been a tricky start to the season for Still and his team, and a win here against Portsmouth would go a long way to instilling some confidence in this new era. Defeat, however, could have the fans on his back already.