Portsmouth boss John Mousinho says he wants to get their first league win “over and done with” so his side can begin to look ahead with less pressure this season.
After nine matches of their return to the second tier, Pompey have drawn five, lost four and remain the only winless team in the Championship.
“I felt we didn’t need this international break, it would have been best to keep the momentum going,” Mousinho, whose side visit QPR on Saturday, told BBC Radio Solent.
“I know that sounds strange off the back of the Stoke performance [a 6-1 defeat on 2 October] but we put that to bed really quickly and played well against Oxford.
“The general feeling around the camp is we want to play games and get that first win over and done with so we can move on with the season and focus on where we want to go.”
Pompey’s opening fixtures have not been easy, facing all of the sides in the top five positions in their opening seven matches.
They have also had to deal with key absentees including forwards Colby Bishop and Kusini Yengi, who scored a combined 34 goals across all competitions last season.
In addition, defender Conor Shaughnessy is now facing further time out with a calf issue. The 28-year-old has not featured for Pompey since mid-August.
“We had a scan and, after consulting a specialist, we weren’t particularly pleased with the results,” Mousinho added.
“We have anticipated he will be out for another four to six weeks and it’s annoying news but we’ll just have to take it on the chin and deal with it.”
Yengi return a welcome boost
One major plus for Portsmouth will be the return of Australian striker Yengi, who starred in last season’s League One title-winning campaign.
The 25-year-old made two substitute appearances earlier on this term but has missed out on seven games completely due to a groin issue.
With Yengi out and Bishop absent due to a heart issue, Portsmouth have been forced to play Christian Saydee centrally as well as giving Elias Sorensen and Mark O’Mahony chances on occasions.
“It’s a massive boost for us,” Mousinho said. “Kas (Yengi) has been back in full training and should be available.
“He had such a big impact for us last season and we’re really looking forward to his belated return this year.
“The personality and energy he brings to us on matchdays is unique and we’re really looking forward to having him back.”
Saturday’s opponents QPR have also struggled at the start of this campaign, sitting one place above second-bottom Portsmouth with two points more.