Portsmouth are ready to host a mouthwatering South Coast derby on Sunday, the league’s first at Fratton Park in over 14 years.

Pompey and Southampton haven’t met much in the last 20 years due to their opposing trajectories, but their rivalry has been revived this season as the two clubs share the same level for the first time since 2011/12.

The two played a cagey, competitive goalless draw at St Mary’s in September, with the biggest talking points occurring after the final whistle, when managers Will Still and John Mousinho exchanged a cold handshake.

According to The News, there was no love lost between the two coaches, with Still expressing apparent dissatisfaction with the game’s stop-start nature and then declining to call Mousinho to his office for the customary post-game drink between managers.

Still would win just one of his next nine matches before being fired, and Mousinho would now have to face with a Southampton game plan led by new signing Tonda Eckert.

What is clear, however, is that the Pompey manager will invite the incoming Saints manager to join him for a drink after what promises to be a heated affair.

John Mousinho sends offer to Southampton manager Tonda Eckert after Will Still incident

Things can get tense on the sidelines, but nine times out of ten, things calm down after the game, and both managers share a drink in the home boss’ office.

Pompey manager John Mousinho is not taking the same approach to Tonda Eckert as he did to Will Still during their September game.We will definitely offer Tonda a drink after Sunday’s game. “He can eat whatever is in the fridge,” Mousinho told the News.There was clearly a lot of talk about Will after the game at St Mary’s. I thought he came in strong with the handshake, and that was it. “I felt it was a funny time.After the game, I talked about what both sets of supporters expected from their players, coaches, and everything. I was quite clear that we have a lot of mutual regard as experts. “We are not friends; we are playing a game.”I’ve had a couple disagreements [with managers] that have not been emphasized. Frank Lampard and I sat on the bench with our handbags and then went inside for a drink. “It was fine, we just laughed about it. It’s a bit pathetic, two grown men squabbling.”It happens on the touchline, and sometimes it spills over, causing tension in the tunnel and preventing others from entering for a drink. Will didn’t offer me one, so it was left at that.”We’ll always go in if we’re invited; we weren’t that day. That is OK. Whether we win, lose, or tie, if the opposing staff invites us in, we will go. “We always welcome folks to Fratton.

Clearly, emotions were running high for the first South Coast derby in a league game in almost a decade, and they continued after the game. Finally, John Mousinho’s objective was to prevent Southampton from gaining momentum at St Mary’s, and as a result, they left happier than the other team.

But in front of a noisy Fratton Park crowd, there will be a greater expectation to come out and fight for three points, and the Pompey manager admits that Sunday will be “a different game.”

There will be no love lost on the pitch on Sunday between Portsmouth and Southampton.

If he accepts the proposal, Tonda Eckert and John Mousinho, along with their staff, will meet for a drink after the game to discuss what could have been an entertaining derby day.

But first, there’s work to be done, and three points to be earned. With the reverse game being only the fifth of the campaign, bragging rights were all that was on the line, but now that more of the season has passed, there’s more at stake.

Portsmouth moved out of the bottom three with a crucial point at Watford in midweek. Meanwhile, Southampton won again against Sheffield United, closing the gap on the top six to seven points.

Both teams have a lot to play for in the second half of the season, whether it’s avoiding relegation or putting together a late playoff run. Clearly, it will be a tightly contested derby, but with additional consequences for the league table.

Eckert and Mousinho may come together after the final whistle, but make no mistake: it will be business as usual from lunchtime on Sunday.