- Birmingham City are 10th in the Championship, on 63 points from 45 games.
- Portsmouth are 18th in the Championship, on 54 points from 45 games.
- John Mousinho’s Portsmouth are playing their best soccer with four wins and one loss in their last five.
Crucial clash at Fratton Park
Birmingham City had the better of the last meeting between the two sides, a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth in the Championship five months ago at St Andrew’s. However, John Mousinho’s side have been in fine form of late, winning four of their last five games, including a 1-0 win at home to Leicester City and a 3-1 away victory at Stoke City.
Our Portsmouth vs Birmingham City prediction takes into account that Portsmouth have won both their most recent home games in the Championship, while Birmingham are on a two-game winning run at home but have failed to win in their last two games away. Portsmouth have won eight, drawn five and lost nine of their 22 home games in the Championship, scoring 1.09 goals and conceding an average of 1.00 goals per game at Fratton Park.
Birmingham are solid on the road, but can Portsmouth exploit?
Birmingham have had a solid season overall but have struggled on the road in the Championship, winning five, drawing four and losing 13 of their 22 away games. Birmingham score an average of 0.77 goals and concede an average of 1.50 per game away from home, so they don’t tend to be involved in high-scoring games on the road.
Adrian Segecic is Portsmouth’s key man this season, with nine goals in 37 Championship appearances, while Jay Stansfield has been in excellent form of late for the Blues, with 10 goals in 43 Championship appearances. The Portsmouth vs Birmingham City preview suggests that Portsmouth set up in either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 system and like to press high up the field, using the energy from their high press and transitioning to vertical play quickly.
Who will win?
Chris Davies’ Birmingham are more patient in possession, they set up to press in a structured way and often rotate their positions during the match to create numerical advantages. This Portsmouth vs Birmingham City prediction also notes that Birmingham’s problem is that they don’t change the game during it as much as some other teams, whereas Portsmouth’s high press can turn the tide in their favour and their home crowd will help to drive that on Saturday.
This is likely to be a close game, with this Portsmouth vs Birmingham City betting tips post considering Portsmouth’s intensity and home form enough to tip the balance in their direction. Birmingham’s away averages of 0.77 goals scored and 1.50 conceded suggest that a low-scoring game is likely, and Portsmouth have won both of their most recent home matches, which makes a home win and both teams not to score a likely outcome.
