Tony Mowbray's Blackburn Rovers ready for Portsmouth 'bear's den'

Tony Mowbray has told his Blackburn Rovers players to stand up and be counted at Portsmouth's Fratton Park, which he described as a 'bear's den'.

Tony Mowbray has told his Blackburn Rovers players to stand up and be counted at Portsmouth's Fratton Park, which he described as a 'bear's den'. The manager acknowledged the intimidating environment but pointed to Pompey's mixed home form as a reason for belief ahead of Saturday's Championship fixture.

Mowbray, speaking to reporters, painted a vivid picture of the venue. He called it an earthy, working-class ground with wooden stands that bounce and a crowd that never leaves an empty seat. "We know what's coming. We know it's an environment (which will be hostile), yet they've lost a few games at home this season," he said.

His analysis is backed by the facts. Portsmouth have only one home win this campaign, a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City. They have suffered defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Derby County on their own turf. Blackburn themselves lost to both those sides at Fratton Park last season, failing to win in their previous two visits. "It's not been a fortress for them but it will be a real atmosphere and a bear's den really," Mowbray added. "We've got to stand up and be counted when we go there."

Injury update

The trip comes with a fresh injury concern. Defender Yuri Ribeiro, who was forced off after just 15 minutes in last week's 3-1 win over Millwall with a hamstring issue, will definitely not be involved this weekend. He is expected to be out for a few weeks. Fellow full-back Ryan Alebiosu, who went off through illness in the same game, will be fit. Midfielder Adam Forshaw remains unavailable with a hip problem and is not expected back in the short term.

Rovers head south sitting 16th in the Championship with eight points from seven games. Their recent form has been inconsistent, with one win, one draw and three losses in their last five outings. The victory over Millwall, powered by a double from Oladapo Afolayan and a late Andri Guðjohnsen strike, provided a welcome boost. Guðjohnsen is the club's top scorer this season with three goals. The team's current points total of eight has been built with an average of 1.14 points per game, and they have scored a total of 11 goals so far this season.

Blackburn's last meeting with Portsmouth ended in a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park in March. The focus now shifts entirely to handling the challenge Mowbray has laid out. The manager, who hails from a similar coastal, industrial background, understands the passion of the Fratton Park crowd. He sees it as a place where people go for a weekend release, making every tackle and foul screamed at. Rovers' task is to channel that energy and secure a positive result to build on their Millwall performance. The next fixture on the fixtures calendar is this away trip to Portsmouth on Saturday.