"Wishful thinking" - Potential Callum Lang boost for Portsmouth FC ahead of QPR discussed | OneFootball

Pompey have had to deal with numerous injuries as they adapt to the Championship

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Portsmouth head to Loftus Road this weekend to face Queens Park Rangers, with the newly-promoted side still looking for their first win of the season in the Championship.

John Mousinho’s side have had something of a baptism of fire upon their return to the second tier, with a fixture list as tough as they come as they look to pit their wits against the best the EFL has to offer.

Credible draws against Oxford United and Sheffield United in their last three outings will have given them some hope ahead of the journey to West London this Saturday, where fellow bottom three side Rangers will be looking to turn around their own poor form in front of their own fans.

With plenty at stake in the weekend’s encounter, we spoke to Football League World’s resident Pompey fan Miltos Ioannidis to decipher whether Mousinho will make any changes for the trip to White City.

Portsmouth FC could be boosted by injury news ahead of Queens Park Rangers clash

Pompey have been struck by a number of injury blows since the start of the season, with a number of players forced to have spells on the sidelines at this early juncture of the campaign.

While Kusini Yengi has been recovering from a groin injury, and Conor Shaughnessy missing his fair share of games with a calf issue, the loss of Callum Lang to a groin strain has been a major blow to Pompey’s attacking output.

Having been the two-goal hero in the opening day 3-3 classic against Leeds United at Elland Road, former Wigan Athletic man Lang as missed each of his side’s last three outings, although there is every chance he could return for the trip to the capital.

Whether he is fit enough to play from the start would remain to be seen, but that news would be warmly welcomed by Ioannidis, with Lang’s input in the final third likely to make all the difference when he returns to action.

When asked about potential changes for the weekend, the Pompey fan said: “It is a bit of wishful thinking, but for the game at the weekend, you would hope and pray that we will have a few players back from injury.

“So based on that, I will say that hopefully we will be seeing a few players back in the starting eleven who were out injured.

“My number one pick would be Callum Lang; I hope he is back, fit and ready to start, and he would come in in place of Elias Sorensen.

“Although Sorensen had some good spells in the game against Oxford, he is still finding his feet in the Championship.

“I am sure that he will turn out good but I think having someone like Callum Lang would be massive, so I hope he is starting and ready to go.”

Portsmouth FC will be hoping to captitaise on poor Queens Park Rangers record

While Pompey are yet to record a victory in any of their nine league matches thus far, this weekend will mark one of their finest opportunities to pick up three points in the campaign to date.

After his heroics in keeping the side in the second tier last season, Marti Cifuentes [pictured] if yet to rediscover the same sort of results in charge of the R’s in the current campaign, with a return of just seven points from their nine outings.

Much of that poor form has been due to a dreadful run at Loftus Road, which has seen the Hoops pick up just two points from their four outings in front of their own fans, with draws against Plymouth Argyle and Millwall all to show for their efforts.

With that in mind, going up against a side who are struggling for form, and with a return of just two goals in their last five outings in any stadium, Mousinho’s side will fancy their chances of picking up a positive result to head back to Hampshire with this weekend.

With the possibility of key players returning from injury, Pompey could have a fresh impetus after returning from the international break, and will want to hit the ground running when action resumes on Saturday.