Sheffield Wednesday will be out to secure their first win of the new Championship campaign when they visit Fratton Park to face Portsmouth on Saturday.
Having failed to win the last six meetings between the two teams, John Mousinho’s men will be looking to get the better of the visitors and secure successive league victories on home turf for the first time since March.
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Portsmouth vs Sheffield Wednesday prediction: A high-scoring encounter expected
Key stats
- Portsmouth and Sheffield have scored in four of their last five meetings, with a combined 17 goals netted across the five matches.
- Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten in their last five visits to Fratton Park, picking up three wins and two draws since March 2002.
- Portsmouth are unbeaten in nine of their most recent 10 Championship games, picking up four wins and five draws, having lost four of the five matches preceding this run.
- Sheffield have conceded the first goal in five of their last six matches and have failed to keep a clean sheet in 19 consecutive games across all competitions.
Correct score prediction: Portsmouth 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday
It had been an underwhelming start to the campaign for Sheffield Wednesday, who will head into the weekend in search of a pick-me-up, having failed to win their opening five matches. Portsmouth, meanwhile, have rock solid at home in the league of late, and we predict they come away with a comfortable victory at Fratton Park.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Portsmouth heavily backed by bookmakers
- HOME: 3/5 (1.60) – 62.5%
- DRAW: 3/1 (4.00) – 25%
- AWAY: 9/2 (5.50) – 18.2%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Portsmouth are most likely to get the job done at Fratton Park this weekend according to the bookies, highlighted by their 62.5% win probability.
On the other hand, Sheffield Wednesday have an 18.2% chance of winning Saturday’s clash, while there is a 25% possibility of the game ending all square by the full-time whistle.
The most recent meeting between Portsmouth and Sheffield came back in April, when Callum Paterson and Harvey Blair scored for either side to force a 1-1 stalemate at the Hillsborough Stadium.
For more from the upcoming weekend fixtures, you can take a look at some of FootballWhispers’ best picks and predictions in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: Sheffield Wednesday exerting dominance of late
Sheffield boast a clear upper hand in this fixture across the last 10 meetings between the two sides, having picked up four wins and four draws since November 2001.
The Owls are unbeaten in each of their last seven matches against Portsmouth, claiming four wins and three draws since a 3-1 defeat in November 2002.
England Championship 26/04/25
Sheff Wed
Portsmouth
England Championship 25/10/24
Portsmouth
Sheff Wed
England League 1 11/03/23
Portsmouth
Sheff Wed
England League 1 30/07/22
Sheff Wed
Portsmouth
England League 1 30/04/22
Sheff Wed
Portsmouth
Portsmouth preview: A solid start to the new league campaign
Portsmouth made it five straight away games without defeat in the Championship last Sunday when they played out a goalless draw with Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium.
Pompey’s biggest chance of the game fell to English forward Colby Bishop just before the half-time break but the 28-year-old dragged his close-range effort wide of the mark.
Portsmouth have now failed to win five of their six games across all competitions, losing three and claiming two draws, a run which saw them crash out of both the EFL Cup and the Hampshire Senior Cup following defeats against Reading and Romsey Town respectively.
Despite their recent struggles, head coach John Mousinho will be satisfied with the start to the campaign for Portsmouth, who could move into fourth place with a win this weekend as they sit ninth in the table with eight points from the first 15 available.
It is also worth noting that Portsmouth are unbeaten in five of their six Championship home games, picking up three wins and two draws since late March.
Predicted lineup: Schmid (GK), Swanson, Poole, Shaughnessy, Ogilvie, Swift, Dozzell, Segecic, Chaplin, Murphy & Bishop
Last five matches
- Southampton 0-0 Portsmouth
- Romsey Town 0-0 Portsmouth (Romsey Town win 4-3 on penalties)
- Portsmouth 1-0 Preston
- West Brom 1-1 Portsmouth
- Portsmouth 1-2 Norwich
Sheffield Wednesday preview: Defensive woes continue
Sheffield Wednesday were dumped out of the EFL Cup in midweek when they fell to a somewhat disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town on home turf.
Grimsby were rewarded for their valiant display at the Hillsborough Stadium as Jaze Kabia netted four minutes after the half-time break to send them through to the fourth round.
For Sheffield Wednesday, this was in keeping with their woes in the Championship, where they sit bottom but one in the table after a stuttering start to the new season.
Henrik Pedersen’s men have lost all but one of their opening five league games this term, with a 2-2 stalemate against Wrexham on August 23 being the exception.
Sheffield’s poor start to the season has been owing to their defensive vulnerability as they have conceded the joint-highest number of goals in the league after the first five games (12).
Predicted lineup: Horvath (GK), Valery, Otegbayo, Iorfa, Kobacki, Fusire, Ingelsson, Thornton, Johnson, Ugbo & Lowe
Last five matches
- Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Grimsby Town
- Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Bristol
- Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Swansea
- Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Leeds (Sheffield win 3-0 on penalties)
- Wrexham 2-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Player to watch – Adrian Segecic
While it has been a slow start to the campaign, Adrian Segecic has been a bright spark for Portsmouth and the 21-year-old will be one to keep an eye on this weekend.
The Australian international, who completed a move from Sydney FC in the summer, has scored twice and set up one more in six matches across all competitions for Pompey.
Segesic should form the attacking quartet alongside Conor Chaplin and Josh Murphy, with 28-year-old striker Callum Bishop leading the line.