Eckert energy and stopping star duo - south coast derby talking points

Over two highly competitive games last season neither Southampton nor Portsmouth could claim the derby day bragging rights they so desperately craved.

The first match at St Mary's ended as an anti-climatic scoreless draw before things took flight at Fratton Park later in the season.

Leo Scienza found the net and ran the entire length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Saints fans prior to Ebou Adams heading a late equaliser home. He also ran the length of the field to salute the supporters in the Fratton End.

Southampton then ended their season with Spygate dominating proceedings after Pompey had secured their status as a Championship side.

With the two bitter rivals set to reignite their rivalry on Sunday (12:00 BST), will one finally triumph in the south coast derby?

The lead-up to this south coast derby has been unlike any other.

While most spectators usually long for the day of the game, everyone connected with Southampton has been anxiously waiting for a verdict on the future of their head coach.

Finally on Wednesday they were put out of their misery when the FA announced that Tonda Eckert had been handed a suspended six-week ban and fined £28,000 for his role in the Spygate scandal. Crucially, this meant he could be in the dugout for Sunday's game at St Mary's and beyond.

Just minutes after the announcement, Saints posted a video, external on their social media channels of Eckert cheering with supporters.

"I think this news will be a little shot in the arm for them before the derby," said former Saints striker James Beattie.

"As a player that's one less thing to worry about and it frees you up to focus on the game. The lads are human at the end of the day and it would have been playing on their minds a little bit.

"Now it's been sorted they can look forward. The timing of the decision couldn't be better and hopefully they can go on and put in a really good performance at St Mary's."

Despite the lacklustre nature of the game, last season's derby still had an incredibly intense and hostile atmosphere.

With the Portsmouth fans undoubtedly having plenty of new verbal ammunition to fire at their rivals, Southampton supporters will be able to reply safe in the knowledge their manager will not be going anywhere soon.

One aspect that underpins the intensity and ferocity of this derby is how few times the teams have played each other, meaning each game feels like a genuine occasion.

Since 1996 they have met just 12 times across all competitions, with eight being a Premier League or Championship fixture.

Neither side has beaten the other in a league game since 2005, when Pompey thumped Saints 4-1 at Fratton Park.

Lomana LuaLua won a penalty and scored two goals in less than half an hour at Fratton Park in a famous day for the blue side of Hampshire.

The four league games since then have all ended even, alongside an FA Cup win for Portsmouth in 2010 and a convincing Southampton victory in their 2019 League Cup campaign.

Derogatory songs about either side are regular fixtures in their weekly matchday repertoires, so when they finally meet supporters get the chance to unleash their jibes towards the other side.

Last season's derbies were the first league meetings since 2012 and were very highly anticipated by the supporters who sang "we're coming for you" in the games prior.

With the frustration of neither winning carrying over to this season, Sunday's game will no doubt make for an intense atmosphere.

This summer was a significant one for Portsmouth, with John Mousinho and sporting director Rich Hughes operating with an increased transfer budget.

Pompey spent more than £10m on additions, significantly more than in previous seasons under Mousinho.

They had not spent more than £1.5m on a single player for about 15 years but this summer they went over that threshold four times on forwards Marko Milovanovic and Tyrese Shade, winger Abu Kamara and midfielder Rocco Shein.

Milovanovic has impressed in spells but struggled with a number of fitness issues and has not played in Portsmouth's last two matches.

The 6ft 6in player has scored twice in the Championship this season and when fit appears to be Mousinho's preferred choice up front.

Shein looked to be a classy addition in his Portsmouth debut when he shone at London Stadium in the first half of Pompey's eventual EFL Cup defeat by West Ham.

He has since played in all seven of their league matches in a deeper midfield position, mostly alongside captain Marlon Pack.

Kamara and Shade have both shown promise but are yet to make a statement on the pitch this season, registering an assist each across their opening games since arriving.

Away from their permanent additions one attacker who has caught the eye is Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, on loan from Chelsea.

The 17-year-old winger has already proven that despite his age he is more than ready for this level, scoring and assisting once this season.

In early September, Kavuma-McQueen suffered a double fracture on his right hand but opted against surgery to continue playing with a splint on his arm, making for a longer recovery period.

This was a decision that appeared to impress head coach Mousinho who labelled the forward as a player and person that "ticks all the boxes".

Eckert's side have started the season well, especially at home with a perfect four wins from four and an impressive 15 goals scored.

Southampton began the season on negative four points but have motored up to 10 points after eight games.

They have beaten Stoke City, Millwall, Swansea and Bristol City handsomely at St Mary's with playmakers Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza playing big roles alongside the division's top scorer Cyle Larin.

The Canada international is a clear and present danger but perhaps the best way Pompey can prevent him making in an impact is by stopping, or at least limiting, his supply line.

Azaz in particular has impressed with his three goals and five assists in eight Championship matches.

The 26-year-old has developed into one of Saints' most important attackers, and one of the Championship's best advanced midfielders, since joining from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2025.

He tends to line-up in the number 10 position of Eckert's 4-2-3-1 formation, just behind the striker and in between the wingers.

Azaz provided the assist for Southampton's opening goal of the derby at Fratton Park last season and he'll be hoping to make a similar impact for Saints on Sunday.

Scienza has continued to look dangerous after last season's breakout campaign where he was named Southampton's player of the season with 17 Championship goal contributions.

Portsmouth have kept two clean sheets out of their seven games this season and will have to defend at their best if they are to keep the Saints attack out.