Pompey fans have some time to wait before the next opportunity to watch their side in League One action.
Saturday’s scheduled clash with Southend at Fratton Park has fallen victim to international call-ups.
The following weekend was supposed to herald a trip to Bury, who were sadly expelled from the EFL last week.
But there is a Leasing.com Trophy fixture against Crawley on Tuesday evening to plug the gap and Kenny Jackett is likely to field a strong team.
The Blues boss said: “The league games are our priority, but we don’t have another one of them for just over two weeks, which is frustrating.
“Postponing the Southend match was always likely to happen, but I wanted to give it as much time as I could.
"The league games are our priority, but we don’t have another one of them for just over two weeks, which is frustrating."
“We have to make sure that when the league games come around again, we’re ready – which we will be.
“But now we have this fixture and we’ll go quite strong, although there are some boys who do need to play.
“The likes of James Bolton and Sean Raggett require matches, so it’s about getting the balance right and making sure we can put on a good performance.
“There will be one or two younger players involved as well and it’s a big opportunity for them in front of the Fratton crowd.
“We played Crawley in pre-season and in this competition last term, so both sides know each other well. They’ve had a good start to their League Two campaign.”
Pompey are the current holders of the silverware, following their penalty shoot-out triumph over Sunderland back in March.
Jackett said: “There were some tricky ties for us last season and it all culminated in an unforgettable day at Wembley.
“It was a long competition and got more important the closer we got to the final. It was a fantastic occasion.”