Portsmouth V Southampton
Tuesday 24th September 2019 – 19:45 Kick-Off
English League Cup
Pick: Southampton to WIN
Odds: EVENS (1/1)
Bookmaker: Unibet
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/5 | 13/5 | 87/100 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 22nd September 2019 at 21:00)
Preview: The League Cup has thrown up a South Coast Derby, as Southampton of the Premier League make the short trip to Fratton Park where awaiting them are local rivals Portsmouth. The latter have been finding life tough down in England’s third tier and would appear to have it all to do if they are to secure a third win in this competition. This game can be seen LIVE on Sky Sports.
English League Cup Betting – 22Bet
Portsmouth Preview – Pompey to defy odds for third straight round?
Some respite for Portsmouth (14/5 with WilliamHill), whose league woes can be momentarily cast aside as they attempt to reach the third round of a competition they have never won before and, if we are allowed to be brutally honest, are highly unlikely to do so anytime soon. Nonetheless, progressing deeper into the tournament can only be viewed as a potential positive for dispirited fans and players alike.
Saturday’s late defeat away to Wycombe Wanderers continued their awful stretch of form which has seen them fail to win any of their last five in the league (D3 L2), having only won once – a 2-0 success at home to Tranmere in early August – all season (W1 D3 L3). It was also only the second time this season that Kenny Jackett’s men were unsuccessful in their attempts to breach the opposition goal on at least one occasion.
It has been a completely different story in this competition. Whereas teams of League One standard have been causing them all sorts of uncharacteristic problems all season – after all, Portsmouth would finish fourth in the same division in 2018-19, Pompey have been outdoing themselves here, claiming scalps from The Championship in the shape of Birmingham (3-0) and QPR (0-2). Victory on Tuesday, however, would top those results and then some.
Southampton Preview – Swift response forthcoming from Saints?
The Saints (Evens with Unibet) were slowly but surely building up some useful momentum prior to Friday night’s rather disappointing performance at home to Bournemouth. Midfielder James Ward-Prowse would briefly tease a comeback when halving a 2-0 deficit from the penalty spot shortly after the half-time interval. A full revival, however, would not be forthcoming. Some calamitous defending at the death making the final score 3-1 and condemning Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to its first loss in five competitive games (W3 D1 beforehand).
What better fixture to quickly rediscover that winning touch than a South Coast Derby. As already mentioned, Southampton were a team on the up before underwhelming against The Cherries, stringing together an impressive three-game unbeaten run in the league that comprised of victories over Brighton (0-2) and Sheffield United (0-1) either side of a 1-1 draw at home with Manchester United.
Factor into the equation a 1-0 win away at Fulham in the previous round of this tournament and this Southampton side will be searching for their fourth consecutive away win in all competitions, which were all achieved without conceding a goal. That is no mean feat. Furthermore, manager Hasenhuttl would name a very strong line-up in that previous round success, suggesting the German is likely to do the same again here.
Portsmouth V Southampton Key Facts:
- Portsmouth are without a win in their last five matches in League One (D3 L2).
- Southampton watched their three-game unbeaten Premier League run (W2 D1) disintegrate on Friday when losing 3-1 at home to Bournemouth.
- Previous Rounds: Portsmouth defeated Birmingham (3-0) and QPR (0-2). Southampton overcame Fulham (0-1).
Betting Summary
Struggling in League One to string any sort of positive form together, it has been in this very competition where Portsmouth have flourished – two of their three competitive victories this season coming in the League Cup, defeating two teams from the league above no less. The first round would see them thrash Birmingham 3-0 at Fratton Park before impressively winning 2-0 at Loftus Road away to QPR.
Perhaps motivated to put in a proper shift on the back of that bitterly disappointing display at home to Bournemouth on Friday, Southampton could be a team out to prove a point. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be expecting a response here and should name another strong line-up similar to the team which edged out Fulham to win 1-0 away from home in the previous round.
Portsmouth have done well to record the victories they did in earlier rounds but this is another step up entirely, facing a Southampton side who had been in really good shape before what was actually a surprising defeat last time out. Provided it is a strong team which starts, Southampton should have too much for their lower league locals.
