Portsmouth host Derby County in a Friday night League One fixture with both teams looking to strengthen their playoff push. Level on points on the table, they appear evenly matched at the moment and look set to cancel each other out.
Portsmouth are having a fine campaign as they are part of a group currently vying for a playoff place. Danny Cowley’s men are currently fifth on the table but with eighth placed Barnsley just two points behind, they could find themselves sliding down the table if results do not go their way.
Pompey have shown some good form lately and head into Friday’s clash unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions. However, they have been held four times in that run, including a 1-1 draw at Morecambe in their previous League One fixture.
Home form has been pivotal to Portsmouth’s campaign this season as they are yet to taste defeat in League One at Fratton Park so far. However, they have played out 1-1 draws in each of their last four matches in front of their fans.
Derby County will travel to Portsmouth in high spirits after claiming a 5-0 victory over Torquay United in an FA Cup first round replay. William Osula was on target early in the contest while David McGoldrick rounded off the rout late in the second half.
The result means Derby County have not suffered a regulation time defeat in their last seven matches across all competitions. Like Portsmouth, they have been plagued by too many draws having been held four times in that run.
The result means Derby County are now unbeaten in their last four League One matches. Paul Warne’s men have claimed two wins in that run, including a 3-1 victory at MK Dons in their previous League outing.
How the bookies view it
Portsmouth have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 7/5 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for Derby County is valued at 21/10 by Unibet while bet365 is offering odds of 12/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Derby County have a 23-22 advantage with 10 draws from 55 previous matches with Portsmouth. The last meeting between both teams was a League Cup clash at Fratton Park in 2015 which Pompey won 2-1.
Players to watch
Colby Bishop has been one of the stars for Portsmouth this season with nine goals in 16 League One appearances. The forward has also been on target in his last two matches and is priced at 9/5 with Betfred.
David McGoldrick could be worth keeping an eye on for Derby County having scored four goals in his last five matches. Bet365 has the striker at odds of 12/5 to find the net on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Portsmouth and Derby County have quality in attack and can easily find their way to goal, so both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill. Derby have seen over 3.5 goals in three of their last four matches and a repeat is priced at 13/5 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 19/20 with bet365.
There have been a few late showings in Derby County’s recent matches, so the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This English League One match between Portsmouth and Derby County will be played on Nov 18, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Portsmouth vs Derby County prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
