West Bromwich Albion have made a storming start to the EFL Championship campaign but face a tricky game after the international break as they head to Portsmouth.
The Baggies reached the play-offs last term under Carlos Corberan but will be targeting automatic promotion this time around after starting with three wins and a draw in their first four games.
The Spaniard worked wonders at Huddersfield, coming within a whisker of taking them up, and looks to have West Brom in great shape after inheriting a side who were battling against the drop two years ago.
Portsmouth won't be pushovers though and they've made a decent start since winning promotion from League One. A thrilling 3-3 draw on day one with title favourites Leeds, which saw a goals bet land for our man Gabriel, was followed by further stalemates with Luton and Middlesbrough.
Leaders Sunderland inflicted their first defeat last time out, in a barren game for me, but boss John Mousinho will be looking to bounce back by beating another side who are flying high.
How the bookies view it: Baggies backed to keep on rolling
West Brom are odds-on favourites at 19/20 with Betfred after their impressive start to the campaign. Portstmouth look a little overpriced at 3/1 with home advantage while the draw pays 5/2.
Recent head to head: Long time no see
These teams were in the Premier League when they last faced off back in season 2008/2009 with both those matches ending in draws. It has been close in the last nine meetings, with four West Brom wins and three Pompey victories in addition to those two stalemates.
Players to watch: Maja's a man in form
Josh Maja started the season with a hat-trick for West Brom against QPR and has since added a further strike in the win over Stoke. The former Sunderland kid is 7/4 for anytime scorer here.
Midfielder Callum Lang netted seven times for Portsmouth last season and started the new campaign with a double at Leeds. He has fired blanks since then but is a tasty 16/5 to get back on the scoresheet here.
Probable line-ups
Both sides have no fresh injury worries but new Pompey signing Harvey Blair could be in contention to start. Corberan could also bring in Mason Holgate and Mikey Johnston after they joined West Brom late in the transfer window.
Portsmouth: Norris; Swanson, Williams, Towler, Ogilvie; Pack, Dozzell; Lane, Lang, Silvera; Saydee
West Bromwich Albion: Palmer; Holgate, Ajayi, Bartley, Heggem; Molumby, Mowatt; Fellows, Johnston, Grant; Maja
Anything else catch the eye?
Portsmouth's last two games have been thrillers, with BTTS and over 3.5 goals landing in both, while West Brom have won 3-1 and 2-1 on their two Championship road trips so far.
That suggests we should see goals at both ends and BTTS pays 8/11 while over 2.5 goals is better at 10/11. Combining those picks in a bet builder boosts the odds to 6/5.
Only one of Portsmouth's games so far this season has failed to hit double figures for corners and that match with Luton came pretty close as it saw nine flag kicks. Over 10.5 corners pays 5/6 here and upping it to over 11.5 corners boosts the odds to 11/8.
The card markets are worth a look too and combative West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jason Molumby is 6/4 to go into the book for a fourth successive game.
This England Championship match between Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion will be played on Sep 15, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Portsmouth vs West Bromwich Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
