Portsmouth and Sunderland meet in the EFL Trophy final on Sunday afternoon looking to win the competition for the first time in their history.

Little separates the two clubs in the League One table, with Portsmouth holding a one-point advantage over Sunderland in third position.

Portsmouth

Each of these teams are prioritising gaining promotion to the Championship at the end of the season, but that does mean that Portsmouth have not welcomed the opportunity to return to Wembley Stadium for the first time since the end of the most famous period in their history.

Portsmouth suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the 2010 FA Cup final, and it was an occasion which was eventually followed by the club facing an uncertain future as they found themselves in League Two just three years later.

The rebuilding job at Fratton Park has taken time, but Kenny Jackett has built on the foundations put in place by Paul Cook to leave the club in contention for a memorable promotion and cup double.

Portsmouth would not have necessarily placed a day out at Wembley in this competition towards the top of their list of targets due to the hectic schedule which goes hand-in-hand with it, but there is an argument that their participation has helped their league form.

Six successive victories have been registered since September - including success against the Under-21 teams at both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur - and three clean sheets in a row have been recorded when the stakes have been raised in the knockout rounds.

Portsmouth have got 12 points on the board from their last five matches having previously gone half-a-dozen league outings without a victory, and their most recent wins have also come with a clean sheet.

Jackett will be delighted that goals at the other end are being spread around the team, but he will want the likes of Jamal Lowe and Omar Bogle to continue their recent form on the big stage.

Goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray will also have a major part to play between the sticks having kept shutouts on four of his last seven appearances.

Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWW

Sunderland

Sunderland make the long trip to Wembley having put together a 19-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, and the Black Cats last tasted defeat when coming up against Portsmouth in the league late last year.

However, Jack Ross will not see this as an opportunity to right a wrong, nor will the Scot or his squad get ahead of themselves as they look to maintain the positive atmosphere at the Stadium of Light.

The club's supporters did not know what to expect after back-to-back relegations, but the North-East outfit's fanbase are now invested in what is trying to be achieved both on and off the pitch.

A prolonged run in the EFL Trophy is a bonus to a certain extent given the desire to return to the Championship, but everyone associated with the club intend to make the most of a rare occasion where they have are being tasked with gaining a result to boost promotion or survival hopes.

A 550-mile round-trip will be made by the majority of fans who have sold out the club's ticket allocation, and the sight of red and white should only inspire a squad who have spent the campaign carrying huge pressure on their shoulders.

Sunderland have found goals difficult to come by in recent weeks with just nine strikes coming in six games, and the frontline has not been the same since Josh Maja was sold to Bordeaux during the January transfer window.

However, Ross will have few concerns given the consistency and stability of a backline which has conceded just two goals in half-a-dozen matches.

There remains a doubt over how Sunderland will react to having a two-week break from action, but Ross's squad are still likely to be difficult to beat this weekend.

Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDDW

Team News

Will Grigg playing for Sunderland in February, 2019.

Will Grigg is expected to be fit for Sunderland despite missing out on international duty with Northern Ireland due to an ankle injury.

Sunderland could line up as they did when overcoming an early deficit to defeat Walsall on March 16.

Portsmouth's main injury concern is regarding Ronan Curtis, but the striker should be fit enough to feature on the bench after a serious finger injury.

Bogle is likely to get the nod over Oliver Hawkins in attack.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:
MacGillavray; Thompson, Burgess, Clarke, Brown; Naylor, Close, Evans, Pitman; Lowe, Bogle

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
McLaughlin; O'Nien, Flanagan, Baldwin, Matthews; Cattermole, Leadbitter, Morgan, Power, McGeady; Grigg

Head To Head

Sunday's encounter will represent the 104th competitive meeting between the two clubs, with Sunderland having recorded 37 victories in comparison to 33 wins for Portsmouth.

There has been just one contest between these sides since 2010, with Portsmouth emerging victorious by a 3-1 scoreline at Fratton Park in December.

Pompey are also on a seven-match unbeaten streak in this fixture, with Sunderland's last triumph coming in a Premier League game at the Stadium of Light in January 2008.

We say: Portsmouth 1-2 Sunderland

Both teams have been performing well at the third tier, but we are backing Sunderland to prevail on Sunday. Ross's men have proven that they are a tough side to beat, and we feel that the North-East outfit will win by the odd goal in three.