Scott Parker makes 'real force' Portsmouth claim ahead of Burnley's trip to Fratton Park
Scott Parker is expecting Portsmouth to go toe-to-toe with his Burnley side when they make the long trip to Fratton Park today.
The Clarets head to Pompey for the first of back-to-back away trips to the South Coast, with an FA Cup tie against Southampton also on the horizon.
John Mousinho’s side currently languish in 21st place in the Championship, two points above the dropzone following their 1-0 defeat to Millwall on Tuesday night.
Prior to that result, however, Pompey had won their last four games on home turf.
“They’re a real force,” Parker said.
“They lost their last game, but previous to that they were unbeaten in seven at home.
“They’re an aggressive team that like to play on the front foot at home. It's a tight stadium and I expect them to have a real go.
“There's a difficult game for us ahead of us at the weekend, as always. We'll fully respect what we're going to face here.
“First and foremost, we'll understand the challenges of what Portsmouth are going to possess and respect that. On the flip side, we'll try and go there and execute a game plan that can get us the three points and get us moving.”
Burnley currently boast the best away record in the league, fresh from their 5-0 rout of bottom side Plymouth Argyle in their last outing.
“We've been good on the road. I touch wood when I say that,” Parker added.
“I think that's come down to us understanding game dynamics in certain moments, maybe game dynamics of oppositions and what we face. Hopefully we can keep moving with that.”