Kenny Jackett will test the depth of his squad in Tuesday night’s Leasing.com Trophy clash with Northampton.
Pompey have traditionally used the competition to give opportunities to those on the fringes of the side or promising youngsters.
And that approach will not be altered for the second round tie against opponents who are sitting sixth in League Two.
But with the hosts defending the trophy they memorably won at Wembley back in March, Jackett is still confident they can progress.
The Blues boss said: “There are players who naturally need some game time – and you can see that in our group.
“So we’ll be giving them a chance out on the pitch, while the other guys will step back onto the bench.
"There are players who naturally need some game time – and you can see that in our group."
“There won’t be too many youngsters, though, and we’ll be seeing if we can get another home victory to progress.
“You take each match as it comes and obviously our league form is the priority, but when these games come around, you try to win.
“Northampton are in a great position in their league and on a good run, so they’ll be aiming to get back into League One.
“It’s always hard to read what sort of team our opponents will put out, but we have to respect the season they’re having.”
Pompey have also reached the third round of the FA Cup, but Jackett is not concerned about a build-up of fixtures.
He said: “You want to do as well as you can and winning games – in the league or other competitions – is always a good thing.
“There will always be problems somewhere and it’s about how you deal with them. If it’s a problem being successful, then we’ll take that.”