Portsmouth V Birmingham

Saturday, 16^th January – 15:00 GMT

Portsmouth

League Position: 20th

Recent Form: DLWDD

Portsmouth have never lost a home fixture with Birmingham in the Premiership but will be hard pressed to maintain such a run this Saturday as the leagues most in form team arrive for action at Fratton Park. Portsmouth, one of the more lightweight teams in the Premiership, could now be described as depleted as five squad members leave for African duties, some being key players, indeed. With their fixture last weekend postponed, we are waiting to see how a poor Portsmouth now perform without some of their better players.

Kanu, Nadir Belhadj, John Utaka & Aruna Dindane will all be missing for Portsmouth through the course of January and that will leave a huge dent in what was already a weak and lightweight Portsmouth squad. However, the show must go on and all that but this month could define their season and how they will actually fare in their fight to avoid the drop as a bad month of January could quite literally spell the end for Portsmouth as we know it. They are crippled with debt and relegation from the top flight really could be the ‘be all and end all’.

A home fixture with an in form Birmingham City isn’t great… but it’s one that could bare fruit. However, Portsmouth have gone back into their shell in the last month or so, losing three of their last four in the league whilst only managing two draws with Coventry City in the FA Cup before eventually going through after a late show in Extra-time. They’ve been far from convincing in their performances, which isn’t something I’ve said too often this season despite an influx of defeats as Pompey, on the whole, have actually played pretty well in games. But that hasn’t been the case of late and this was the case in both their defeats to West Ham (2-0) & Arsenal (1-4), with the latter not only emphatic but embarrassing for the fans.

The only positive for Portsmouth fans really is that they can score far more goals at home than they can away from Fratton Park, scoring eight more at home than on their travels this season. However, now they are without Aruna Dindane, a double edged sword in some ways as although he did get into very good goalscoring opportunities he didn’t half fluff a lot of them, while John Utaka pace will also sadly be missed. Avram Grant is now down to the bare bone and he now requires players with character, grit and determination to get him through a difficult month starting with them getting some sort of a result at home to Birmingham City.

Birmingham City

League Position: 8th

Recent Form: WDDWD

Birmingham have proven to be untouchable at present and have been so for some time now, close to three months in fact, but we don’t think they’ll meat a team more hungry for points than their opponents this Saturday in bottom of the league Portsmouth at Fratton Park. However, even with that said it’s worth baring in mind that Birmingham haven’t lost any away fixture since the middle of October so they are more than equipped to handle anything the Southerner’s may have to offer.

It’s going to be a long trip down for Birmingham players and fans alike but they’ll have high hopes of it being a fruitful venture considering their vast amounts of success they’ve been enjoying of late. This Birmingham side, whom only managed second place in The Championship last season, have gone unbeaten in the league for 12 games and this impressive run has shown no signs of stopping. Even the might Manchester United couldn’t slay Birmingham as the pair played out a 1-1 draw in one of just three fixtures that went ahead over the weekend.

This run of theirs is magnificent but it’s some of the teams that they’ve come up against and held their on against that has taken us back the most. Man City (H0-0), Liverpool (A2-2), Everton (A1-1), Chelsea (H0-0) and their most recent was a 1-1 draw at home to Man Utd. Even some of the countries very best have faltered against the mite of Birmingham but in hindsight those were easier games to get motivated for and a trip to Portsmouth could possibly bring about some complacency from the Birmingham ranks… possibly. 

Birmingham have been outstanding against the big teams this season and have more than held their own in most clashes. However, a fixture with a struggling Portsmouth is a different kettle of fish as Birmingham won’t be the underdog in this clash but more the favourite which is unusual for them. It’s also a game where the players will be supremely confident of earning all three points from, and rightly so, but if they do begin to underestimate Portsmouth, a side who are desperate for any type of result, then they could leave Fratton Park with their tails between their legs.

After going 12 games unbeaten, winning seven and drawing five, it will seem a tad bizarre that we’re apprehensive about this outing for Birmingham but, whether it’s one of those uncontrollable gut feelings, something is telling me Birmingham might not have it all their own way in this fixture. They’ve been used to having to work hard and defending in numbers but that won’t be the case at Fratton Park. We can just see Birmingham heading down over-confident of their chances and coming a cropper.

Match Verdict: Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Birmingham have been outstanding this season but this is a game where Portsmouth have to win and should be fighting tooth and nail for every single point. However, that doesn’t mean Pompey are entitled to all the spoils, certainly not, but it should mean a big performance is to be expected from them as every lost game significantly decreases their chances of avoiding the drop and this is a fixture that could provide them with at least a point. Birmingham will be full of confidence after their hard fought draw with Man Utd last weekend off the back of a 12 match unbeaten run, but this trip to Portsmouth brings about a different kind of test for them and it will be interesting to see if they rise or sink. Not a game we’re getting overly excited about hence the draw selection.

Match Odds:

Portsmouth – 2.80 Boylesports

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Birmingham City – 2.75 Bet365

SoccerBetting Value Tip: 1-1 Correct Score – 7.00 SkyBet