Stories to follow as Pompey and Saints meet again

Despite September's anticlimactic meeting between Southampton and Portsmouth, anticipation and excitement is building for the second installment of the fierce rivalry between the Championship clubs.

Fratton Park will host the second south coast derby of the campaign on Sunday and supporters will be hoping that this one is more exciting than the previous goalless encounter.

It could be argued that more is at stake in this game, with Pompey desperate to move further away from the bottom three, and Saints keen to regather some momentum after a poor run.

BBC Sport explores the main talking points going into this huge game as well as previewing what should be a special atmosphere come 12:00 GMT on Sunday.

Before we sink our teeth into previewing Sunday's match, it is only right that we touch on what can only be described as an underwhelming game in September.

The pre-match atmosphere at St Mary's was electric as the travelling Portsmouth fans were forced to get into the ground early, and were making a huge noise well before the players came out to warm up.

What then followed was a competitive but ultimately disappointing game that ended 0-0.

Andre Dozzell came closest to scoring for the visitors, striking the crossbar with an effort in the first half.

But on the day it almost felt like both sides were somewhat afraid to fully commit because of the fear of conceding.

Portsmouth impressed in the first half and dominated the chances, but Southampton came out stronger in the second period, yet were unable to find a breakthrough.

Because neither were able to claim the bragging rights on the day, you do feel that added tension and frustration will be carried over to Sunday's match.

When it comes to home atmospheres in English football, Fratton Park is up there as one of the most intimidating grounds to visit in the country.

Portsmouth consistently sell out their stadium for Championship matches and have a large and loyal travelling support.

With the noise they made at St Mary's, you know that Fratton Park will be bouncing when both sets of players walk out.

It may not be one of the biggest grounds, with a capacity of just over 20,000, but it is without doubt one of the loudest, and those fans will be desperate to see their side get over the line this weekend.

Former Pompey player Lomana LuaLua even said that when he played in these games fans would even accept relegation if it meant they beat their bitter rivals.

"I've had a taste of a lot of incredible home atmospheres over the last three years," Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho said.

"I know how Fratton Park gets when everybody gets going, this is obviously something completely different though, and I had a taste of that in the away game.

"It's one of those games that does feel different when you're in and around the match, and that does add to the atmosphere and the tension. I expect it to be an incredible afternoon."

Tonda Eckert brought a refreshing style of football to Southampton that delivered wins when he initially replaced Will Still as interim Saints boss earlier in the season.

It was why he was so quickly promoted to the full position, but he has since come under some pressure from fans following a run of seven league games without a win.

However, Saints managed to come out on top against Sheffield United on Wednesday, taking their first three points since early December, and giving some respite to Eckert and his coaching team.

But in terms of pressure, there is never more placed on a coach from fans than when they step into the dugout on derby day.

"The derby is the most beautiful game of the year," Eckert told BBC Sport.

"It's the most important one and there will be some moments for us where we will have to dig really deep.

"I've been around this club for six months, and I was here at the stadium for when we played the game at home - it means everything and you can feel this."

The derby is a game of two extremes, win the match and the fans will love you forever, writing your name into the club's history.

Lose, and frustration and criticism will come your way.

There is no doubt that if Portsmouth had a fully fit squad then Mousinho and the Pompey fans would feel plenty of confidence going into the game.

But injuries have held them back this season, with key players Josh Murphy, Callum Lang and Conor Shaughnessy set to be missing for the derby.

Murphy was instrumental in the first game, and Shaughnessy has looked to have the potential to be Pompey's best defender when he has played this season.

They will no doubt still have confidence in those they do have going into this game, but the team will be far from at full strength.

Against Watford on Wednesday, Mousinho had to shuffle full-back Connor Ogilvie to centre-half alongside Regan Poole, with the inexperienced Ibane Bowat their only other fit central defender.

"It's worth remembering Southampton's team cost vastly more to put together than Portsmouth's, and their wage bill is multiples of Pompey's," BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator Andrew Moon said.

"Murphy, Lang and Shaughnessy are also their three best players.

"If John Mousinho can add a south coast derby win to his impressive list of achievements at the club, it will cement his legacy as one of the best managers at Fratton Park in recent memory."

If you want to tune into Sunday's south coast derby then you can do across the BBC.

We will have live text commentary of the game which kicks off at 12:00 GMT on the BBC Sport website and app.

For radio coverage, you can listen to BBC Radio Solent's live commentary on air from 10:00 GMT on Sunday morning.

The commentary will not be available online so you will have to tune your radio to 96.1fm or 103.8fm.

You can also listen to BBC Radio Solent commentary via Hampshire digital radio or Dorset digital radio.