This game has certainly not been chosen for the Sky cameras because of the glitz & glamour but nevertheless this is a massively important game for both teams & it should be a very competitive affair. Stoke City made their name last year by winning the vast majority of their home matches & that will be the focus of Tony Pulis in this game. Stoke City have had a fantastic start to the season but Tony Pulis is fully aware of the need for wins & he will definitely target this game for another home win. Tony Pulis has to get the belief & confidence levels back into Stoke City squad because their high standards have dropped in their recent matches following getting stuffed by Portsmouth in the league cup, a failure to beat Wolves after being 2-0 up & then losing 2-1 at Hull City with a very poor performance. The Stoke City fans are fantastic & they will know the importance of this match so we expect the atmosphere to be fantastic for this match & that should definitely help Stoke City here.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth have been on a recovery mission in recent weeks after their terrible start of 7 defeats & to be fair to them the have played quite well in most of the match despite losing. It is clear that Paul Hart has created a very strong team spirit at Portsmouth & they definitely look like a team who believe in each other which is massively important for the rest of the season. The key for Portsmouth here is how they respond to losing 3-1 away at Blackburn in their last match & they will have to make sure they defend better than they did that day because Stoke City will really test them & particularly at set pieces.
Betting verdict
Flowing football won`t be on the menu here but we are still expecting a decent game because both teams will be positive & competitive but in our view home advantage is massive in this fixture & Stoke City look a solid bet keep their impressive home form going.
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Prediction:
Tip: 1 AH (-0.25)
Odd: 1.85
Bookie: Bet365
Stake: 8 /10
Tipster: Kather
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