Fulham V Portsmouth

Fulham V Portsmouth

Saturday, 9^th January – 15:00 GMT

MATCH POSTPONED – We regrettably have to inform you that the following game has been postponed due to severe weather conditions. Although the pitch has been confirmed as ‘playable’ the surrounding area; roads, pathways, steps etc… have been deemed a hazard and a risk to those fans who will attend the game. 

Fulham

League Position: 9th

Recent Form: DWDLL

With Fulham now without a win in nine away outings in the league, the pressure to make amends at home starts to build but this pressure will intensify as bottom of the league Portsmouth pay them a visits in a game Fulham are widely expected to not only win but also dominate as the Cottagers have already beaten the likes of Liverpool & Man Utd at home this season, whilst also pushing Chelsea & Arsenal pretty close, so a fixture with Pompey should be a walk in the park compared.

Fulham, managed by a wise Roy Hodgeson’s, were sent crashing to their second successive league defeat on Tuesday when they lost 3-2 at The Brittania to a Stoke City side that have struggled for a regular supply of goals all season. Despite a late second half rally, it was Fulham’s shoddy showing in the opening 45 minutes which cost them any chance of getting something out of the fixture as they went into the break 3-0 behind and all but out of the contest. The fact that they did manage to pull two goals back will provide Hodgeson with a few small positives, but they will be just small ones as Fulham simply weren’t up to scratch in that contest and will need to improve for the visit of Pompey.

Fulham maybe struggling for results on the road but they haven’t been as shy at the Cottage and have actually remained undefeated there in seven games. The last team to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage was Arsenal back in September, which the Gunners were very fortunate to do so as Fulham peppered their goal in that contest and have been doing similar ever since to opponents who dare test them in their London fortress.  

On this seven match unbeaten home run, Fulham have beaten some classy outfits along the way. They had to battle hard to earn all three points against Blackburn (3-0) & Sunderland (1-0), whilst they dished out a beating to two of the country’s most prestigious teams in Liverpool (3-1) & then Man Utd (3-0), in which the latter was emphatic. They were, though, held to a 0-0 draw in their last Cottage appearance by Tottenham Hotspur, but Fulham will be supremely confident of securing another set of three points this weekend as they trot back to lick their wounds at what has been a happy hunting ground for them this season.

Portsmouth

League Position: 20th

Recent Form: DLWLL 

Portsmouth may have claimed the scalp of Liverpool midway through December but they have since gone on a downward spiral of poor results. Since their Liverpool heroics, Pompey haven’t managed a win in any competition, a run which was compounded by their failure to overcome Championship opposition, a fairly ordinary one at that, when they drew 1-1 with Coventry City at Fratton Park. Now Avram Grant has to contend with an unwanted extra fixture as Pompey take on Coventry, at Coventry, just a few days after their visit to high-flying Fulham.

This really is a big ask for Portsmouth on Saturday as their away form this season has been diabolical. In ten away outings this far, purely in the league, Portsmouth have managed just the one victory, with even that rare away success coming against one of more poorer Premiership opponents in Wolves. That win was however, way back in early October and it will be somewhat of a distant memory as Pompey have failed to win an away fixture ever since, picking up just two points from their last six away ventures.

Portsmouth aren’t a whole lot better back at Fratton Park but they have been a terrible outfit on the road, although their performances sometimes have merited more. Nevertheless, the results speak for themselves and their dire away run and form makes them a terrible proposition ahead of their clash with a far more consistent Fulham side.

There really isn’t a whole lot else to say other than a Portsmouth win this Saturday would give us the shock of our life’s. Some of the opponents that have defeated them on the road of late haven’t been great; Blackburn (3-1), Stoke City (1-0) Chelsea (2-1) and West Ham (2-0), with the latter poor display at Upton Park eclipsing their valiant display at Chelsea. They have the second worst away offensive record in the league, scoring just 5 goals, and with Aruna Dindane off to the African Cup of Nations, Portsmouth really could be a forlorn hope.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Fulham W: 4 Portsmouth W: 3 Draws: 3

It’s Fulham, whom with their 1-0 victory at Fratton Park earlier in the season, edged in front on the h2h count when an in form Bobby Zamora scored Fulham’s winner on the South coast. Portsmouth fans will have high hopes for revenge but were left short changed on their last visit to Craven Cottage, with Pompey coming away with a 3-1 defeat. However, there is a glimmer of hope in that Portsmouth have won in two of their last four visits to Craven Cottage, and that their 3-1 defeat their last season as their first in four visits.

These two have clashed six times at Craven Cottage in the Premiership, and an interesting pattern is that only once have Pompey failed to score at the Cottage, that coming in their first ever visit back in 2003. They have since scored in every visit, a run of five games.

Match Verdict: Fulham to WIN – 1.62 Bet365

Fulham were very poor and well below their usual high standards but we expect them to bounce straight back with victory just four days later by beating lowly Portsmouth at Craven Cottage. Even the country’s very best have fallen to the mighty Fulham in London this year and we fully expect Portsmouth to fall by the wayside as Fulham set out to not only extend their nine match unbeaten home run but also register their eighth win of the season. They play with much more attacking vigour at home, whilst their defence won’t be as vulnerable, and so Fulham should notch up another three points at home.

Match Odds:

Fulham – 1.62 Bet365

Draw – 3.75 SkyBet

Portsmouth – 6.50 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Erik Nevland Anytime Goalscorer – 2.88 Boylesports