Joe Pigott starts: The predicted Portsmouth FC XI to face Derby County on Friday night | OneFootball

Portsmouth welcome Derby County to Fratton Park in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday evening.

Danny Cowley’s Pompey have dropped off considerably since the opening couple of months of the season and will be aiming to tame the Rams’ surge up the table under Paul Warne.

Both sides will be hoping to be involved in the play-offs this season as a minimum requirement, with Derby potentially set to invest heavily in the January transfer window.

Pompey picked up a disappointing 1-1 draw at Morecambe in their last outing, two points dropped against a side who have won only twice in the league so far this term.

Here, we are predicting one change from the side that took a point at the Mazuma Stadium to line up against the Rams…

Joe Pigott replaces Dane Scarlett in the final third to test Derby’s backline with a more physical threat.

The latter has not troubled the scorers in his last nine league appearances and could possibly be used more effectively as an impact substitute on the night.

Pigott is a proven goal threat at this level but has struggled for regular minutes since leaving AFC Wimbledon in the summer of 2021.

Denver Hume, Jay Mingi and Reeco Hackett-Fairchild will also be pushing for a start, while Michael Morrison is a defensive option to Cowley.

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Joe Rafferty and Jayden Reid are long term absentees for the hosts, Joe Morrell is at the World Cup with Wales, while Marlon Pack and Tommy Lowery have recently returned from spells on the sidelines.