Portsmouth V Birmingham City Betting: FA Cup Quarter-Final

FA Cup: Quarter-Final

Portsmouth V Birmingham City

Kick-Off: Saturday, 6^th March – 12:30 GMT

TV Coverage: ITV1

Portsmouth

FA Cup Odds: 20/1 Bet365

The inevitable took place last Friday as Portsmouth FC entered into administration becoming the very first Premiership club to ever do so. It was a miserable day for Portsmouth fans but it was also a low-point for English football as yet another one of England’s old-timers begins its predicted slumber down the leagues. However, while the Pompey players could be forgiven for feeling a tad sorry for themselves they instead went and put a valiant shift in up at Turf Moor, with a 2-1 victory being their just rewards for a spirited performance after a miserable week and year for the club.

The FA will soon dock Portsmouth nine points for entering into administration and that would leave the club almost certain to suffer relegation, if that wasn’t the expected destination for Pompey anyway. At the time this preview was written (Monday, 29^th Feb) Portsmouth were still rock-bottom of the Premier League but a more reasonable five points off safety. With the point penalty, however, Portsmouth are expected to fall a further nine points off safety, leaving the club need to claw back a fourteen point deficit just to stay in the Premiership. While there maybe still thirty-three points still up for grabs, Portsmouth’s death looks assured as they’ve not shown anywhere near enough form to suggest they will win the vast majority of their remaining fixtures in order to stay up – So prepare to wave goodbye to a rare South Coast Premiership side.

As far as betting on them in Saturday’s affair, it’s hard to weigh up their chances especially after their weekend heroics at Burnley. Many, including us, thought administration was the nail in the coffin and that the players would now lose all their remaining spirit and belief and simply roll over. They proved us and everyone else wrong with a whole-hearted display away at Burnley, what was just their second away win of the season. More importantly, however, that shock victory ended their baron run of eight league games without a win but they do return back to a venue where they’ve not enjoyed that winning feeling in either of their previous games at Fratton Park.

The South Coast has been the setting for better tidings though, with three of their fives league wins coming down at Fratton Park and Portsmouth losing two less games their. It’s nothing to write home about but it’s these small positives that will keep the fans flickering flames alive… just. The problem being, though, is that Portsmouth have managed just two draws in their last four at home, with the other two ending in disappointing defeats. However, Avram Grant will feel his sides have much more of a chance of picking up points at a venue where the players have clearly found more settling, with sixteen of their twenty-three league games coming in home fixtures. That’s a big difference and it’s also worth pointing out that Portsmouth have scored in each of their last nine home games, although on just three of those occasions did Pompey surpass one goal, so where there is a glimmer of hope we’ve quickly jumped in to extinguish it. Sorry Pompey fans!

However, their league form should go out of the window in many respects as the FA Cup is now far more significant in that a place in the Semi-Finals at Wembley is up for grabs. We do have huge concerns over their defence, one which has been shaky throughout the course of the season, but they’ve shown so much heart and character of late that we wouldn’t deter anyone from backing Portsmouth to defy the odds and keep this unfortunate dream/nightmare alive. One thing we will say is the FA Cup is now the teams last chance to repay the fans for their support throughout what has been a heartbreaking season. They will have the majority of the neutrals behind them, but Portsmouth will be going out to win on Saturday purely for the fans sake.

Birmingham City

FA Cup Odds: 12/1 bWin

Alex McLeish will surely be licking his lips at the prospect of taking his surprise package of Birmingham all the way to the Semi-Final at Wembley. Their opponents are a cash-strapped, knocking on deaths door Portsmouth, with the only real stumbling block for them being their lack of home advantage. It’s a crucial factor as were this tie to be at St. Andrews, Birmingham would be the firm favourites. They aren’t, however, and it’s up to the players to silence the Pompey crowd in what should be a subdued atmosphere but certainly won’t be as the fans give it one last hoorah in a bid to drive their ‘sick’ club into a memorable Semi-Final.

A Birmingham side who sit eighth in the Premiership will be supremely confident over their chances of winning on Saturday after a sensational season up till this point. They club are in fact pushing for a European finish, not that Alex McLeish will want to believe it. However, whereas Portsmouth have their minds distracted by so many issues; league position and money concerns one of a few, Birmingham have next to none and can place their full attention on their next big task at hand: Winning Saturday;s Quarter-Final clash down on the South coast.

While this isn’t an away fixture in the league, it’s worth point out that Birmingham have been less effective on their travels this season. At home Birmingham have accumulated a total of 26 points, whereas they’ve amassed nearly half-as-less as that away from home, with 14 points collected so far from away outings. It’s still very respectable for a club which were fancied for relegation at the start of the term by some punters, not us mind, but it does highlight a minor flaw, with their slightly lacklustre away efforts leaving them a tad exposed down South.

Moreover, Birmingham have lost their last three away fixtures whilst back in Premiership action, which isn’t ideal form heading into an away tie in the FA Cup, but, to our amazement, all of Birmingham’s three victories in the competition thus far came away from St. Andrews, with victory’s at Nott’m Forest, Everton and Derby County, all of which were by a familiar one goal margin. Their solid outlook on games has clearly paid dividends in this competition so far and who would back against them making it four away wins on the trot in this competition by beating Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday?

Match Verdict: Portsmouth to WIN – 2.62 Bet365

The answer to the above question is us as we feel it could be the last memorable game down at Fratton Park for quite some time on Saturday, and we only hope it’s one to remember for all the right reasons for the home crowd. It’s hard to imagine the players can even focus at this moment in time but they shown last Saturday their heads are in the right frame of mind and that all they’re interested in once they get onto that pitch is winning matches, or at least trying to their utmost to do so. They weren’t classy on Saturday, nor were they entirely convincing – far from it – but they were gutsy and we will be one of many around the country to lend our sofa support on Saturday.

Our Bet: Over 2.5 Goals – 2.38 WilliamHill

There is only one outcome that would let us done on Saturday, and that’s a 1-1 draw. Portsmouth haven’t failed to score in a home fixture since September, while their defence looks so frail that Birmingham would have to be drastically poor not to score on Saturday, so goals look to be assured in a fixture that would normally look dull on paper. Portsmouth were fired up for their last round clash against Southampton but were extremely sluggish getting out of the blocks. A similarly poor start would almost certainly see Birmingham clinch an early lead. However, Birmingham have failed to keep a clean sheet in either of their previous two away outings in the cup and so goals looks a logical outcome. Two teams who will do all they can to win but two sides who will struggle to keep it neat and tidy at the back – Bring on the 3 Goals or More we say!

Match Odds:

Portsmouth – 2.62 Bet365

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Birmingham City – 2.75 PaddyPower