It is first against second as Portsmouth host Derby County in a top of the table League One clash Tuesday. Both teams have shown plenty of quality this season but Pompey have just been that extra bit better than everyone else and given their record at Fratton Park, should have the upper hand in this one.
It has been a thoroughly impressive campaign for Portsmouth, who are well on their way to securing Championship football next season. They are also on course to win the League one title, sitting five points clear at the top of the standings.
The intensity appears to have been taken up a notch with the season approaching the business end as Portsmouth are unbeaten in their last 13 matches. They have claimed 10 wins in that run, including a 3-1 victory at Wycombe Wanderers last time out in League One.
Portsmouth have also done some good work at home in recent times having won their last five matches at Fratton Park. However, John Mousinho’s men often struggle to maintain their defensive solidity having kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 matches in front of their fans.
Derby County have kept close tabs with Portsmouth as they sit second on the standings, five points off the pace. Paul Warne’s men are likely to join the League One leaders in the Championship next season as they hold a six point lead over third placed Bolton Wanderers.
Things have also been pretty smooth for Derby County in recent times as they have won five of their last six matches. The Rams head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 victory over Blackpool in their previous fixture, with Ebou Adams getting the goal.
While things have been generally solid for Derby County lately, they are beginning to show some cracks on their recent travels. They have lost two of their last three League One away matches and were beaten 1-0 by Northampton Town in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Portsmouth have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for Derby County is valued at 23/10 with bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by Coral.
Head to head
Derby County have a 23-22 advantage with 13 draws from 58 previous matches against Portsmouth. The last three meetings have ended in draws with both teams battling to a 1-1 scoreline in the reverse fixture back in September.
Players to watch
Colby Bishop netted a brace last Saturday to take his tally to 18 League One goals this season. The forward was also on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 11/5 by Unibet to find the net on Tuesday.
James Collins has also been among the goals for Derby County, scoring 13 League One goals so far. The striker opened the scoring in the reverse fixture and could be worth keeping an eye on at 3/1 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is plenty of attacking quality on display and both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with Coral. Portsmouth saw over 3.5 goals in their previous fixture and a repeat is priced at 29/10 by BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at 43/40 by bet365.
Portsmouth have scored in both halves in their last five League One home matches and a similar pattern is priced at 11/4 by bet365.
This English League One match between Portsmouth and Derby County will be played on Apr 2, 2024 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.
