Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has warned that a punishing run of fixtures will likely cause more injuries to his squad. The Blues face five league games in 13 days after the international break, starting with the south-coast derby against Southampton on Sunday.

Mousinho believes the club's summer focus on strengthening wide attacking options has already been justified by a current injury list that includes four players in those positions. Josh Murphy (groin), Keshi Anderson (quad), Franco Umeh (hamstring) and Luke Brooke-Smith (ankle) are all sidelined. They are joined by Connor Ogilvie (knee), Thomas Waddingham (ankle) and Márk Kosznovszky (knee).

Registration limits prevent deeper squad

The manager explained that Championship squad registration rules prevent him from adding more cover, even though the schedule demands it. "We’ve potentially got more players than we can register when everyone is back fit," Mousinho said. He argued the league's restrictions do not match the physical demands placed on teams, especially given the club's recent form of one win in their last five matches.

"You will now see clubs not being able to fill benches, not because they don’t have the players but because they don’t have the registration places," he added. Portsmouth currently sit 18th in the Championship with seven points from six games. Their most recent result was a 0-0 draw away at Charlton, a match where they failed to score for the third time this season.

Gruelling post-break schedule

After hosting Blackburn Rovers in their final match before the break this weekend, Portsmouth have a three-week pause. The intense period then begins with Southampton at home, followed by Sheffield United at Fratton Park, trips to Norwich and Wolves, and a home game against Millwall. The manager highlighted the physical toll, noting that the team's average goal minutes this season show a pattern of conceding late, with 40% of goals against coming in the final 15 minutes of matches.

"We’re going to pick up a few injuries then, hopefully not too many," Mousinho stated. He said the club aimed for two players for every position this summer but is now focused on coping with the existing absentees. The full extent of the challenge can be seen on the club's injuries page.

Portsmouth's next test is at home to Blackburn on Saturday, a side they drew 1-1 with in March. The manager's immediate task is to handle that fixture before the demanding run begins. Following that, their next fixture after the break is the highly anticipated derby against Southampton, which kicks off a critical fortnight for the team's league position.

The original report is at portsmouth.co.uk