There were no points separating Pompey and Oxford when the League One season was suspended back in March.
This evening’s visitors to Fratton Park only finished above their hosts because of a superior goal difference.
Many supporters will, therefore, be expecting a close encounter when the play-offs finally get started.
And with the prize of Championship football at stake, Kenny Jackett knows his side have to be ready to hit the ground running.
The Blues boss said: “We’ll need to play well – there’s no opportunity to have a few games to get ourselves up and running.
“You’ve got to be ready from the very first minute, but we’ve worked hard and there’s a good hunger among the group.
“It’s going to be a different environment and we’ve spoken about that. We know what’s coming – both home and away.
"We’ll have to play well – there’s no opportunity to have a few games to get ourselves up and running."
“The challenge is a big one, but we’re ready for it and are looking forward to it because there are many clubs that would like to be in our situation with a chance of getting into the Championship.
“Both sides will have had friendly matches to prepare, but it’s about what happens on the day and making sure we have the right attitude.
“We need to back each other and make sure that everyone sticks together – they’re really important things.
“If you look at all the sides that are in the play-offs, then there was nothing between them when the regular season was cut short.
“Pompey and Oxford were level on the same number of points and that shows you just how close it is.”
Jackett has a fully-fit squad to select from and believes the Blues can cope with having both legs in quick succession.
He said: “We had one or two knocks at the back end of last week and had to adjust training a little bit, but they’re okay now and that’s really good news for us.
“After all the time we had to prepare – and there was obviously good reason for that – the games come quickly.
“But there’s enough time between Friday and Monday and you can definitely recover in that period. Everyone just wants to get on with it now.”
⏰ Less than 24 hours to go...@hampshireflag | #Pompey pic.twitter.com/Qe884wrJKY
— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) July 2, 2020