John Mousinho is delighted to be able to call upon his captain for the first time since being appointed head coach.
Clark Robertson has been sidelined since picking up an injury against Ipswich in the final fixture of 2022.
But he has since returned to full training and travelled up with the squad for Tuesday’s victory at Accrington.
And Mousinho believes that the Scottish centre-back has an important role to play both on and off the pitch.
The Blues boss said: “Clark was pretty much available for selection from Monday and we thought it would be good for him to be around all the lads and form part of the travelling squad.
“It’s great to have the club captain back and the influence he has, even just on the bus or at dinner, is great.
“We thought it was a step too far to be involved in the game and we wanted to make sure that he’s fully ready.
“But Clark is available for this weekend and there’s no new injury news – it’s a clean bill of health from Tuesday.
“Jay Mingi is also ready for selection and with Zak Swanson we’re still looking at probably another 2-3 weeks.”
"It’s great to have the club captain back and the influence he has, even just on the bus or at dinner, is great."
Robertson could be involved when Pompey make the trip to the Memorial Stadium to face Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
Mousinho said: “They’re a really good side and have enjoyed an excellent season after winning promotion, continuing that momentum.
“There are some excellent attacking options – including John Marquis, who the fans here obviously know very well.
“Rovers do try to get the ball down and play attractive football, while also having the ability to go longer with the physicality they have.
“I’m sure they would have been disappointed to lose to Wycombe on Tuesday night, but have also had some good results in recent weeks.
“There will be plenty of positives coming out of their camp and we know it’s going to be a stern test this weekend.”
One man who will not be involved is Joe Pigott, with Mousinho revealing that Pompey decided not to appeal the striker’s controversial dismissal at the Crown Ground.
He said: “We looked at the footage and got an expert opinion. As much as we still don’t think it was a red card, we’ve only got one camera angle and don’t believe it will be overturned.
“So unfortunately we won’t be appealing the decision, although that’s not an indication of what we think about the challenge.
“Thankfully it didn’t affect the outcome of the match, but it’s disappointing for Joe to be out for three games after coming into some form.”