Lincoln City v Portsmouth: early-season reset as both chase first league points | OneFootball

Lincoln City host Portsmouth in the Championship on Saturday, 22 August 2026 in Lincoln, with both sides seeking a first league win after opening defeats left them in the lower reaches of the table.

Portsmouth have the edge in the recent head-to-head, winning seven of the past 10 meetings, including a 2-0 success away in April 2024.

Lincoln City lost 2-1 at Middlesbrough after beating Derby in the EFL Cup, while Portsmouth were beaten 3-1 by Queens Park Rangers and also went out of the cup at West Ham.

James Collins and Sonny Bradley are out for Lincoln City, with Portsmouth missing Marlon Pack, Connor Ogilvie, Keshi Anderson, Josef Bursik, Mark Kosznovszky, Harvey Blair, Franco Umeh-Chibueze and Thomas Waddingham.

Tom Shaw's side posted 24% possession and six shots on opening day, so may look to keep their shape and strike through Adam Reach, who scored, and Tendayi Darikwa, who assisted. John Mousinho's men had 54% possession with 14 shots and 26 open-play crosses at 11.54% accuracy, so wide delivery could again be a route, with Terry Devlin fed by Ebou Adams last time.

Lincoln City sit 18th on zero points and a win would move them to three and could nudge them towards mid-table. Portsmouth are 22nd in the relegation places and victory could lift them out of the bottom three. Next up, Lincoln visit Bolton, while Portsmouth travel to Bristol City.