Several members of the Pompey squad have been itching for a chance to impress this season.
And there will be a chance for them to stake their claim for a spot in the side in Tuesday evening’s EFL Trophy tie at Southend.
Joe Gallen confirmed that there will be plenty of changes made for the second of their three group stage fixtures.
And he has challenged those players coming into the side to show why they deserve more regular action.
Pompey’s assistant manager said: “There will be some changes, but we’ve got a good squad and so the side we put out will be a strong one.
“The majority of guys involved won’t have played on Saturday and yet it will still have a ‘first team’ feel about it.
"There will be some changes, but we’ve got a good squad and so the side we put out will be a strong one."
“All the professionals we’ve got who really need games will be involved and we’ll certainly be competitive.
“It’s up to those lads to perform well against Southend if they want to force their way into the ‘league’ team.
“We’ve done pretty well in this competition in the past and are looking for another positive performance and another win.
“After the result at Burton on Saturday, we now want our season to really get going by going on a run of victories.”
Pompey need to collect at least two points at Roots Hall to qualify from Southern Group A with a game to spare.
Gallen said: “We’ve still hopefully got the final of last season’s competition to come and we’ve always respected these games.
“It’s not our number one priority, but hopefully we can get through to the next stage and try to win the whole thing.”