Gillingham will host Portsmouth in League One action on Tuesday evening with the aim of moving back into the play-off places.

The Gills have started the season well, but slipped out of the top six after defeat at MK Dons on Saturday. Portsmouth, meanwhile, haven’t had the best of starts to their campaign, and will want to start climbing the table at Priestifeld.

Here’s our preview of the game.

Team news

Gillingham should have Jacob Mellis available again after the midfielder missed Saturday’s game against MK Dons through a non-COVID-related illness.

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Southampton loanee Tom O’Connor also missed out after a period of time without playing due to international duty and with Gillingham only able to name five of their six loanees in a match day squad, but he is available to play if required.

Matty Willock could also feature as he slowly recovers from a hamstring injury, but captain Kyle Dempsey will face assessment after picking up a knock late on at Stadium MK.

Stuart O’Keefe remains a long-term absentee with a broken leg.

Portsmouth will be without Ellis Harrison for "two to three weeks" after the forward picked up an injury on Saturday.

Apart from Harrison, there are no injury concerns for the away side.

Predicted lineups

Gillingham (possible 4-2-3-1): Bonham - Jackson, Tucker, Medley, Ogilvie - Dempsey, Robertson - Samuel, Mellis, Graham - Oliver.

Portsmouth (possible 4-2-3-1): MacGillivray - Johnson, Watmough, Raggett, Brown - Naylor, Close - Harness, Cannon, Curtis - Marquis.

Form guide

Gillingham suffered an unexpected loss at then-bottom-of-the-table MK Dons on Saturday, falling 2-0 to Russell Martin’s men.

Prior to that, they had gone four unbeaten in League One since the opening day of the season. The Gills are currently eighth in the table.

Portsmouth are 10th in League One after their six games, and most recently lost 1-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.

Kenny Jackett’s team have two wins, two draws and two defeats on the board.

Ones to watch

Winger Jordan Graham remains the one to watch for Gillingham. The former Wolves man was quiet against MK Dons, but he has four goals and one assist from his six league appearances so far this season. If he is on song on Tuesday, Gillingham will ask Portsmouth plenty of questions.

John Marquis has a point to prove returning to a previous club on Tuesday. The forward has played second fiddle so far this season to Harrison, but, with the latter now out, Marquis should have the chance to stake his claim as the main man for Pompey.

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Previous meetings

The sides are yet to meet this season, but last season’s equivalent was drawn 1-1 after Gillingham’s Alex Jakubiak cancelled out Gareth Evans’ opener.

In total, the teams have crossed paths 37 times in the past, with Portsmouth winnings 19 matchups compared to Gillingham’s nine. There have also been nine draws between the two.

How to watch

The game has not been selected for TV coverage in the UK, but an iFollow pass can be purchased for £10 to stream the game live.

Gillingham season ticket holders can watch the game for free.

Kick-off is scheduled for 18:30 BST.

What the managers have said

Gillingham manager Steve Evans is expecting his side to bounce back on Tuesday following Saturday’s defeat.

He told the club website: “Football is all about talent, effort, determination and character. These young players of ours are learning all the time, and it is about how we react now.

“Portsmouth are a class outfit with an experienced manager, so it is a huge task against one of League One’s big clubs.”

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Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett, meanwhile, wants the same for his Portsmouth side.

He told the club website: “After a defeat on Saturday, we are looking to bounce back against a Gillingham side who have started well.

“Doncaster were different to MK Dons and Gillingham will be different again, so we have to deal with that.

“But we have confidence in the ability of the group of players we have here and while we should not underestimate any opponent, we should not overestimate them either.”

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