John Mousinho has spoken with his customary frankness ahead of Sunday's South Coast derby, describing Portsmouth as the "clear underdogs" when they travel to St Mary's for a 12:00 kick-off.

Pompey sit 19th in the Championship, two points below their opponents and six places adrift in the table. That gap would be even wider were it not for a four-point deduction imposed on Southampton in the wake of what has become known as the Spygate saga. Mousinho was in no mood to dress that context up.

"We are clearly the underdogs," he told BBC Radio Solent. "Southampton have a squad that came down from the Premier League a couple of years ago and have strengthened it since and kept a lot of players over the summer. They have a very strong squad, very well-resourced. They are very heavy favourites, in my eyes."

The head coach's assessment is hard to argue with on paper. Southampton have won all four home Championship fixtures this season, scoring 15 goals in those matches. Portsmouth, for their part, have collected four points from three away games, a record that reflects a side still finding its feet at this level.

A fresh start after the break

The three-week international window has been, in Mousinho's words, "long and unusual", but he struck a measured tone about what the pause might offer both clubs heading into such a charged occasion.

"After three weeks off I think both sides are starting afresh and it will be a good encounter to get our teeth stuck into," he said. "It's a mixture of being just another game but also there's heightened importance to it. We want to find the right balance between the two."

Mousinho was keen to temper derby fever without dismissing the significance of the fixture entirely. "We don't want to get too carried away with the occasion, but we want to use that, if we can, to our advantage to really push on our performance," he added. The sentiment is understandable from a coach who has spoken previously about the importance of consistency across a long Championship season, rather than producing big-game performances in isolation.

Portsmouth used the break productively, playing a behind-closed-doors friendly against Chelsea that Mousinho described as "really useful". There are no fresh injury concerns following the international window, which will come as some relief given the defensive difficulties the club has faced earlier in the campaign.

Injury picture brightening slightly

The availability news is cautiously positive. Defender Conor Shaughnessy, who came off during the 2-2 draw with Blackburn on 19 September with a groin strain, is now in contention to feature at St Mary's. Winger Keshi Anderson has not been ruled out by the head coach either.

Forward Marko Milovanovic's involvement is described as "in the balance", while playmaker Josh Murphy remains two or three weeks away from a return. Full-back Connor Ogilvie, despite returning to training on grass, is unlikely to be available until the end of the month.

The last two meetings between the sides offer a useful frame of reference. A goalless draw at St Mary's 13 months ago was followed by a 1-1 at Fratton Park in January, with Ebou Adams earning Pompey a late point. Mousinho's view is that the principal dividend from those encounters was experience of the occasion itself.

"The main thing was learning what to expect," he said. "I do like that sentiment [of raising your game], hopefully it works for us at the weekend, but I do want us to be consistently good and not just raise our game for some of those bigger fixtures."

That is a reasonable enough demand. Portsmouth will need to be rather more than consistent if they are to disrupt Southampton's unbeaten home record. Mousinho, to his credit, is not pretending otherwise.

Frequently asked

When is the Portsmouth vs Southampton South Coast derby?
The match takes place at St Mary's on Sunday, with a 12:00 BST kick-off.
What is Portsmouth's league position ahead of the derby?
Portsmouth are 19th in the Championship table going into the fixture, two points below Southampton.
Which Portsmouth players are injured for the Southampton derby?
Josh Murphy is two or three weeks away from returning, and Connor Ogilvie is unlikely to be fit until the end of the month. Conor Shaughnessy is in contention after a groin strain, and Marko Milovanovic's involvement is described as in the balance.