The weather this weekend is not exactly conducive for fast-paced football.
Pompey visit Cheltenham in League One on Saturday with the mercury expected to be hitting 36C at Whaddon Road.
Danny Cowley will certainly not be using the heat as an excuse for his side to drop their standards, however.
And he expects to see a reaction from a Robins outfit who were heavily beaten in the cup earlier in the week.
The Blues boss said: “We love the heat and there’s no better place in the world to be than Portsmouth when the weather is like this.
“The training has been good and we’ve enjoyed the sunshine – if you moan when it’s cold and moan when it’s hot, you’re just a moaner! We just make sure that they’re well hydrated.
“It's our third away game in four and so we knew it was going to be a really tough start to the season for us.
“Our challenge is to stay unbeaten and we know we’ll have to be at our very best if we want to get on the right side of the result.
“Cheltenham have had a lot of success over the past few years, winning promotion from League Two, and are a really together group with a lot of spirit.
"The training has been good and we’ve enjoyed the sunshine – if you moan when it’s cold and moan when it’s hot, you’re just a moaner!"
“We anticipate facing a wounded animal and they made eight changes – sometimes these games just happen.
“I expect to see the best of them when we go there on Saturday and that’s certainly what we’re preparing for.
“Cheltenham are a well organised team with a clear way of playing and we know they are a committed bunch.”
Pompey’s reward for knocking Championship side Cardiff out of the Carabao Cup is a trip to Newport later this month.
Cowley said: “It seems that it’s actually the Welsh Cup we’ve entered this season! It’s another tough away draw against a side who have enjoyed a good recent record in cup competitions.
“We’re having a busy August, but that’s great for us because we’re getting a couple back from the treatment room.
“I don’t think we had the depth in our group for a cup run last season, but now the group is growing and we have young players to support that.”
Injuries to Clark Robertson, Connor Ogilvie and Denver Hume meant Pompey were without a left-footed player on Tuesday night.
Cowley said: “We’ve had a bit of a problem on that side, but we’re making good strides and hoping of having some of them back on Saturday.”