Ipswich and Pompey were two of the favourites for promotion with the bookies at the start of the campaign.
And both sides have lived up to that billing after the opening 16 games, currently sitting third and fourth respectively in the League One standings.
Kenny Jackett believes his troops can claim victory when the sides clash at Portman Road on Saturday.
And he believes they should take confidence from previous results against sides challenging for a spot in the Championship next season.
The Blues boss said: “It’s two good teams and it was hard-earned extra-time victory when we went there in the FA Cup.
“The sides are sitting third and fourth in the league after around a third of the season and there’s nothing between us.
“So I’m expecting it to be a game of high standards and both clubs have a chance of chasing those promotion spots.
"This is a tough division and it’s hard to win on a regular basis, but we should never be afraid of anybody."
“We’ll really have to produce our best quality on Saturday if we want to do well and get the result we want.
“But we’ve been to places likes Sunderland and Lincoln this season and won, so we can take confidence from that and know we can match any squad in the division.
“This is a tough division and it’s hard to win on a regular basis, but we should never be afraid of anybody.
“To get right to the top you need to averaging around two points per game and we’re currently in the chasing pack.
“It’s a good position and nobody’s been able to get away from us – now we can look forward at how we can keep pace with the sides around us.”
Pompey will travel to Suffolk with a fully-fit squad after Michael Jacobs returned to training earlier in the week.
Jackett said: “I think he’ll be okay for Ipswich, although we’ll see how he goes on Friday. It’s good news to have no injuries.”