Portsmouth will be looking to past experience to win the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy this season and the League One outfit will be confident they can avoid a potential banana skin against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night (Portsmouth 8/13 draw 13/5 Wycombe 7/2 – Match Betting) in their second-round tie.
Pompey, who lifted the FA Cup back in 2008, have suffered a steep decline since they beat Cardiff City in that final at Wembley and now sit 17th place in the third tier of English football.
Having made a poor start to the season, the south-coast club are unbeaten in their last three outings, including wins over Scunthorpe United and Yeovil Town.
Manager Michael Appleton will have been disappointed his side were two goals to the good against MK Dons on the weekend before being pegged back to a 2-2 draw.
Izale McLeod has been a standout performer this term for Pompey, with five goals to his name already this term.
The former England Under-21 striker will be a threat to a Wycombe side who put an end to their eight-game winless streak last weekend with a 2-1 victory over Torquay.
Wanderers still sit just above the relegation zone in 22nd place in League Two and face a tough season ahead of them, as they aim to avoid relegation to the conference.
The side are currently being led by captain and now caretaker manager Gareth Ainsworth who will be looking for his side to cause a big upset against Portsmouth.
However, at Fratton Park, Pompey should have too much for Wycombe, who will have bigger concerns of football league survival on their minds (6/1 Portsmouth 2-0 – correct score) this season.
In another cup encounter on Tuesday night Chesterfield make the relatively short 30 miles trip north to face Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium (Doncaster 8/11 draw 5/2 Chesterfield 3/1 – Match Betting).
Rovers find themselves just two points off the play-offs as they settle into life in League One following relegation from the Championship last term.
Manager Dean Saunders has picked up former Chelsea youngster Michael Woods this month, who will be hoping to kick-start his career with Doncaster.
The 22-year-old will have plenty of experienced players around him in the form of Robbie Blake and James Harper so he will learn a lot by playing regularly for Rovers.
Doncaster go up against a Chesterfield outfit who have proved to be a tough nut to crack this term.
With only one defeat in their last 11 outings in all competitions, caretaker managers Tommy Wright and Mark Crossley have a side that will not give up even if they go behind against Rovers.
The Spireites will undoubtedly show plenty of character at the Keepmoat on Tuesday night but Doncaster will have the experience, with the likes of Blake and Harper, to get them through the second round tie (7/1 Doncaster 2-1 correct score).
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.