Portsmouth is undoubtedly in the process of seeking their form and it’s certain that this match might be the deciding one for their fate in the Premiership for the next couple of months, as they still haven’t defeated anybody in the league except for that surprise against Wolverhampton on the road. Last week they were very near the win against Hull City, when they were the better side, had a few very good goal-scoring opportunities, but the ball simply didn’t want to go in and they had to settle for one point. After that, they played a great game in the Carling Cup against Stoke, winning by as much as 4:0 at home, despite the fact Stoke had the more quality players at their disposition, and that win certainly brought a great deal of confidence to the Pompeys, who are eagerly waiting their first triumph at home in the league this season.
Solid
Wigan didn’t play a match over the week so they’re now very rested before the visit to Portsmouth, and their surprising away win against Burnley by 3:1 from the last week has helped them climb to an excellent 10th spot, so they’re now full of optimism before the upcoming rounds. Wigan usually plays very open and attacking, which is the product of their coach Martinez’s tactics, so the same is expected at this match. Wigan is scoring, but also conceding a lot of goals away from home, so I’m convinced they will improve their average in this round, but considering their very unstable defense, anything’s always possible in their matches, from a win over Chelsea to a loss to, let’s say, Portsmouth.
Time for a win at home
I think that the right moment has finally come for us to back the hosts in one match. Portsmouth are just slight favorites, even though we certainly couldn’t say they’ve been playing better than Wigan in the previous part of the season judging by their previous results. However, even the bookies probably expect the Pompeys to finally win one, and the average Wigan side really isn’t someone who can’t be beaten. Last season Wigan won both of their mutual matches, so here I expect some kind of a revenge, and finally one motivated display of the Pompeys which should bring them their first home victory in the Premiership, and an escape from the bottom of the standings, where they’ve been stuck at for quite a while now. Their play is slightly improving each week, and I believe this is the right time for us to support their progress with one nice punt on a home win.
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Prediction:
Tip: 1
Odd: 2.45
Bookie: Bet365
Stake: 6 /10
Tipster: Kather
