Portsmouth manager John Mousinho is currently managing a lengthy injury list ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Lincoln City in the Championship.
The Imps welcome Pompey looking for their first league points of the season after the 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough, while the visitors are also attempting to respond to an opening-day loss. They were beaten 3-1 by QPR, and their preparations for the trip to Lincoln have been complicated by a number of first-team absences. The News reports that several Portsmouth players are already ruled out, while captain Marlon Pack and Harvey Blair remain doubts.
Pack is perhaps the most significant player whose availability remains uncertain. The midfielder underwent knee surgery during the summer and had originally been considered a possible returnee for the opening Championship fixture against QPR. That did not happen, with Mousinho instead indicating that Saturday’s game at Sincil Bank could be a more realistic target for his return. Whether he is ready to start, make the bench or miss out again should become clearer when Portsmouth provide their pre-match injury update.
Blair is another whose involvement remains uncertain after suffering a hip problem during the warm-up before Portsmouth’s friendly against Darmstadt at the end of July. That injury kept him out against West Ham and again for the defeat to QPR. His wider future at Fratton Park is also unclear, with Mousinho open to allowing him to leave this summer, but he could still come into contention for the trip to Lincoln if he recovers sufficiently.
There are fewer question marks over several other players, with their absence from Saturday’s game already expected. Franco Umeh tore his hamstring in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Kuwait SC immediately before the season began and is facing another extended spell out. The winger has made just two senior appearances for Portsmouth since joining from Crystal Palace in September 2025.
Thomas Waddingham is also unavailable after suffering a serious ankle injury against West Ham during pre-season. Portsmouth expect the Australian striker to miss between six and ten weeks, although that timescale could increase if surgery is required. His absence came after what had reportedly been an encouraging pre-season for the forward and leaves Mousinho with one fewer attacking option for Sincil Bank.
There are problems elsewhere in the side as well. Left-back Connor Ogilvie underwent knee surgery in July and does not yet have a confirmed return date. Mousinho has previously revealed that Ogilvie was continuing to experience pain during his recovery, which means there appears to be little prospect of him being involved against City.
Keshi Anderson is another long-term absentee. He suffered a torn quad during Portsmouth’s pre-season trip to Ireland and is not expected to return until October. The winger had already endured two separate hamstring injuries following his January arrival, and this latest problem ensures he will miss the early weeks of the Championship campaign.
Fellow defender Jacob Farrell is also set to sit out Saturday’s match after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury during pre-season. The Australian was initially expected to be absent for around eight weeks, while Portsmouth have also suggested his future could lie elsewhere before the transfer window closes. For now, his injury rules him out of consideration.
Hungarian midfielder Mark Kosznovszky is facing an even longer period on the sidelines because of a serious knee injury. He is not expected back until the new year, with Portsmouth potentially leaving him out of their 25-man EFL squad for the first half of the season as a result.
Goalkeeper Josef Bursik, who played once for the Imps in 2021, is getting closer to a return to full training after four months out with a calf injury sustained against Stoke City, but he is not expected to be involved at Sincil Bank. Daniel Bielica’s arrival has pushed Bursik down the pecking order, and Portsmouth are expected to allow him to leave once he is fully fit.
Youngster Tayo Singerr completes the current list of confirmed Pompey absentees. He missed the entirety of pre-season with a hamstring injury and remains unavailable as Portsmouth prepare for the trip north.
It means Mousinho could be without a sizeable group when Pompey arrive at Sincil Bank, although Pack and Blair are the two names whose situations could yet change before Saturday. Portsmouth are expected to provide further updates later this week, but there is already little prospect of Mousinho having anything close to a full squad available for the Championship fixture.
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