Jack Whatmough hopes Pompey’s clash with QPR will be a rehearsal for Championship football.
The Londoners are heading to Fratton Park this weekend for a fourth round tie in the Emirates FA Cup.
It is the second time this month that the Blues have faced second tier opponents, having seen off high-flying Norwich to get this far in the competition.
And with Pompey currently sitting top of League One, Whatmough knows that similar contests could become a regular occasion.
The centre-back said: “If we do go on to win promotion then it’s the sort of side that we’ll be facing next season and we can see what needs to be worked on.
“We want to win and to progress as far as we possibly can, but it’s also a decent chance to see what level we’re at.
"It’s going to be a good occasion for everyone and it will be an even better one if we can get the right result."
“QPR are coming down here in large numbers and we’ll have a lot of fans in the ground, like we always do.
“It’s going to be a good occasion for everyone and it will be an even better one if we can get the right result.
“There’s no real pressure on us because the FA Cup probably isn’t a competition that we’re going to win.
“We can just go out give a good account of ourselves – hopefully it will work out like it did at Norwich in the last round.
“Whether QPR will be fielding their strongest team is something we don’t know, but we just have to try to beat what’s put in front of us.
“This could be the furthest the club’s gone for quite a few years and I’m sure Fratton Park will be rocking on Saturday.”
Whatmough insists that the Pompey squad are still in high spirits, despite losing their two most recent league matches.
He said: “We’ve got plenty of character in that changing room and when we do get beaten, everyone’s there trying to cheer the other guys up.
“You need that bit of banter and we’ve got some massive personalities in this squad – that doesn’t change after a defeat.”