Exeter City 1 Portsmouth 1 - live updates of Papa John's Trophy tie

Exeter City will be looking to book their spot in the round of 16 of the Papa John’s Trophy when they host Portsmouth tonight.

The Grecians qualified for the knockout stages by topping their group, but their reward is a tough tie against the League One side who have reached two of the last three finals of the competition.

The two clubs were initially due to face off before Christmas, but a Covid outbreak in both camps so the game postponed, meaning that not only do the winners know they will be travelling to Cambridge United on Tuesday, the winners of that will face Rotherham United away in the quarter finals.

The previous meeting was back in February 2020 when City were moments away from reaching the Wembley cup final, leading 2-1 at Fratton Park as the game entered stoppage time, before Pompey scored twice to break City hearts.

Matt Taylor’s side come into the tie off the back of an impressive 0-0 draw away to League Two leaders Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday, but they have only won one of the last eight games in all competitions, while Danny Cowley’s Pompey have only lost one of their last 13.

But the form guide for the visitors is skewed by the fact they have only played once – on Monday in a 0-0 draw at Cambridge United – since December 11, and Taylor expects them to bring a strong team to St James Park.

The match kicks off at 7.30pm, with the winner to be decided on the night and a penalty shootout if the tie is level after 90 minutes.