Portsmouth V Stoke City Betting: Saturday, 20th February (ESPN)

Portsmouth V Stoke City

Saturday, 20^th February – 17:30 GMT (ESPN)

Portsmouth

League Position: 20th

Recent Form: DLLLD
 

While business off the pitch isn’t booming, far, far from it, there is still the small matter of earning points on the field which still needs to be finalised and a win on Saturday against a combative Stoke City would at least keep their Premiership flame alive. Defeat, however, could quite literally spell the end for Portsmouth as the club are already eight points adrift of safe land and could be further behind once the tax man has his wicked way with the club, possibly ending in a heavy points deduction if they’re not careful. It’s worrying times but the mood in camp will have brightened after their FA Cup and Derby day success at Southampton and perhaps this is when Portsmouth really kick their revival push into motion.

With twenty-five league games now done and dusted, although Pompey would wish for them back if they had a magic genie -and a few quid while they’re at it – Portsmouth have acquainted themselves rather nicely to the bottom of the league and haven’t budged since the start of the season. With points few and far between and actual wins at a premium, this Nile like gap between them and safety just seems to grow with every passing fixture. However, that could and would change were they to notch up a win this weekend in a fixture which is more than winnable but will require more than just an appearance from the Pompey players.

On Saturday, when they took on Southampton in the FA Cup, Portsmouth were sluggish out of the blocks and should have conceded a handful of goals within the first 30 minutes. However, they rode their luck and the Saints storm to eventually run out flattering 4-1 winners. However, if they were to produce a similarly bad start on Saturday against Stoke then they might not be as fortunate. The Potters, while they do possess a terrible away record this season of one away win in thirteen, are equipped to better such a dire run and could do so with an early goal as they love to sit and defend leads. With this in mind, it’s imperative that Portsmouth sprinting out of the blocks and don’t concede early on. The spirit in camp might have lifted a tad after their weekend victory down in Southampton but it’s still not as high as it should and probably not strong enough to claw back any sort of deficit.

Another factor which will have a big impact on how Portsmouth fare on Saturday’s is the fans and what type of support they plan on giving their team. We know matters on and off the pitch haven’t been rosy, with rosy being an understatement, but booing you side after just 30 minutes played with the score at 0-0 is not the solution and certainly won’t raise the confidence levels of an already drained squad. While survival looks almost impossible, there is still the smallest of chances that Portsmouth could avoid such a travesty and a win on Saturday could kick-start a decent run for Pompey. However, this isn’t possible without the support of the fans and we hope every single home fan gets right behind their team on Saturday as the players need all the support they can get at this moment in time.

Stoke City

League Position: 12th

Recent Form: WDDWD

Stoke will be buoyed by their recent draw with Man City in the FA Cup and will be supremely confident of registering just their second away win of the season when they travel down south to take on Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Just like their opponents, the statistics would indicate that they don’t have much chance of winning this game but the two sides predicament, Stoke’s being their shy away record, means both are actually capable of recording a big away win.  

The Potters weren’t expected to get a draw at The City of Manchester stadium on Saturday, but they did, nor were they expected to outplay their northern opponents, yet they did. In fact, Stoke were a tad unfortunate not to have on Saturday in a game they performed brilliantly in. They were tight, compact, well organised and extremely well disciplined at the back – all traits we’ve come to recognise with Stoke nowadays, whilst they were far more threatening in the final third than their illustrious opponents, whom rarely troubled Sorenson in the Stoke goal. The draw was a disappointing result in the end but it does leave Stoke with a home replay and one they will fancy their chances in back in front of is expected to be a capacity Stoke support.

While their weekend display was a pleasing one, it was a rare positive away performance from what has generally been a poor Stoke side away from The Brittania. In twelve away fixtures, Stoke have managed just the one win, although that was a sublime 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur. However, with that bizarre win to one side, Stoke have been very poor away from home, especially in front of goal. We aren’t too sure which statistic is worse – The one where they’ve won just once in twelve games of the one that reads five goals in twelve away games. Both make for horrendous reading but we suppose it’s the latter which raises the alarm bells; as the old adage goes “You can’t win games i you don’t score’ and Stoke certainly don’t score frequently enough.

Stoke have failed to score in over half of their away outings thus far (7/12), but surely they won’t have a better chance to bolster their lacklustre goal tally than a trip to Portsmouth against the team at the bottom of the league. Moreover, a two game unbeaten run away from home is something they can build upon, with draws at Sunderland & Wigan Athletic leaving The Potters on the verge of a three match unbeaten away run should they avoid defeat on Saturday.

Match Verdict: Portsmouth to WIN – 2.50 Boylesports

To be honest, both these sides could record a win on Saturday. Stoke haven’t been the same side on the road that has seen them pick up plenty of points back home at The Brittania, and so their claims aren’t as solid as perhaps they should be. Portsmouth, however, have been terrible all round but are running out of glorious opportunities, like this one, to actually win games. The Southerners did prove on Saturday that they can weather a storm and that with patience comes results. The scoreline was flattering on Portsmouth but the emphatic score should have been the boost in confidence the squad needed ahead of some crucial Premiership fixtures. If they can be just as clinical in front of goal, something which has been an ever present problem in their play this season, then a vital set of three points could be all theirs.

Match Odds:

Portsmouth – 2.50 Boylesports

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Stoke City – 3.20 Bet365

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Jamie O’Hara Anytime Scorer – 11/2 WilliamHill