John Mousinho shares ‘better team’ verdict ahead of Coventry City vs Portsmouth amid Frank Lampard praise

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There are vital points on offer for Coventry City and Portsmouth in Wednesday night’s clash at the CBS Arena, with John Mousinho’s side searching for just their third away win of the campaign.

They have fared much better at home, where they have the ninth-best record in the division. There, John Mousinho’s side also recorded a 4-1 win over Frank Lampard thanks to a four-goal haul from Callum Lang.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
12	BlackburnBlackburn	40	15	7	18	42	43	-1	52
13	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	40	14	10	16	54	61	-7	52
14	PrestonPreston	40	10	18	12	40	47	-7	48
15	SwanseaSwansea	40	13	9	18	41	51	-10	48
16	QPRQPR	40	11	13	16	45	53	-8	46
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	40	12	9	19	48	63	-15	45
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	40	11	12	17	41	57	-16	45
19	Hull CityHull City	40	11	11	18	40	48	-8	44
20	Stoke CityStoke City	40	10	13	17	41	53	-12	43
21	DerbyDerby	40	11	8	21	42	52	-10	41
22	CardiffCardiff	40	9	14	17	43	63	-20	41

Lampard is likely to adopt somewhat of an ‘aggressive’ approach to tomorrow night, where Pompey know they can have safety all but assured. They are close to the points required for Championship survival, but are not yet out of the relegation mix during the run-in.

Josh Murphy has been the signing of the season and he could be crucial between now and May in acquiring the last few points required. Pompey are the underdogs in Wednesday’s game but will look to cause an upset at the CBS by inflicting defeat on the Championship high-flyers.

• READ MORE: 17-year Portsmouth record finally broken after Newcastle United beat Liverpool at Wembley

John Mousinho’s Frank Lampard verdict

Lang dispatched Coventry in the reverse fixture at fortress Fratton Park. After their 4-1 win in December, Portsmouth could complete only their second ever league double over Coventry, previously achieving that in 2018/19.

Unfortunately for Pompey, they have lost all five of their midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games away from home this season by an aggregate score of 2-14 so far. It’s a game Mousinho knows won’t be easy.

Speaking back in December after the reverse fixture, Mousinho told Express FM’s Jake Smith: “Coventry are a side that have been challenging at this level a number of years now.

“[They are] really competitive and they missed out on the Premier League a couple of years ago on penalties.

“In terms of what Mark [Robins] had done previously, they’ve built a very successful squad and team for the football club from the ground up.

“They’ve still got a lot of strength, Frank’s come in and — certainly from what I’ve seen — they’ve been the better team in games.

“It will be a really good challenge.”

It wasn’t much of a challenge or contest on that occasion, but Lampard has had longer to get his feet under the table and his ideas across since. They are also an extremely strong side at home.

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Coventry City’s form at the CBS Arena sends warning to Portsmouth and Mousinho

It’s fair to say both Coventry and Portsmouth’s home form are the bedrock and foundation of their strong respective seasons, and they would not be where they are in the table without it.

The size of the task is therefore obvious for Pompey, who have an almost identical home record to their hosts. Having said that, at the crunch, during the business end of the season, strange things can happen when eyeing survival or promotion.

We have seen that this weekend in the Championship again, and there are bound to be more twists and turns to come at both ends of the table. This game has ramifications at both ends and you wouldn’t be backing the draw with so much at stake for both and a winner almost guaranteed.