Ben Thompson knows that victory against Sunderland would be the perfect Christmas gift for Pompey supporters.
The Wearsiders head south this weekend for a contest between the sides sitting first and third in the League One standings.
With the stadium selling out weeks in advance, it was clear that this game was one that had stoked the imagination of the Fratton faithful.
But Thompson revealed that it is not just the fans who are excited by a test against fellow promotion hopefuls.
The midfielder said: “It’s a massive game – all the supporters and players know that, and it’s why it sold out so quickly.
"I think we’ve already made a statement by being top of the league for most of the season, but this is the one that everyone wants to see."
“I’m sure it’s going to be a tasty encounter and everyone’s looking forward to it. We want a win to set us up nicely for after Christmas.
“I think we’ve already made a statement by being top of the league for most of the season, but this is the one that everyone wants to see.
“The bigger the game, the better for us. You get more excited before kick-off and it’s what you live for as a footballer. I can’t wait for it personally and the other boys probably feel the same.
“Everyone’s working hard on the pitch and there’s nobody here who’s struggling – we’re all on the same wavelength.
“When I won promotion with Millwall, we were going into most games thinking we were going to win and it’s the same here.”
Thompson is still in the dark about whether his parent club will recall him from a season-long loan spell in January.
He said: “I haven’t got a clue. I haven’t spoken to Millwall about it and those decisions are made behind the scenes.
“It’s not my decision and so I’ll just see what happens when the time comes. There are a few games to play before that.
“I’m focusing on Pompey at the moment. I’ve enjoyed every moment here and it would be nice to remain with a promotion-chasing team.”