Can Portsmouth shock the favorites?
While Mikel Arteta’s team is currently the best in the country, the hosts are fighting to stay in the Championship (2nd division). As a result, the odds for a Portsmouth vs. Arsenal tip clearly favor a victory for the visiting team.
However, this tip does not offer value, because with such low betting odds, the residual risk is probably even higher than the potential profit.
In search of the right bet, we now take a look at the home and away records of the two teams. Here, the picture is similarly clear, as the Blues are not particularly strong at home, with only 18 points from 14 home games. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that the home team is significantly better at Fratton Park than away. John Mousinho’s team has only managed to pick up eight points away from home.
To further intensify our Portsmouth vs. Arsenal prediction, we now need to take a look at the Gunners. Mikel Arteta’s team is significantly better away than FCP and has already picked up 32 points from 14 away games. This means that the visitors are better away than the “Blue Army” are at home.
The Gunners are not only individually better, but also have an outstanding away record. In addition, Mikel Arteta’s team is unbeaten in eight competitive games and has only dropped two points in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool FC. But we can look back even further, because strictly speaking, the Gunners have lost only one of their last 27 games.
The visitors are therefore chasing the title this season and have a good chance of overall victory in all four competitions. The same cannot be said for “Pompey,” who, after being knocked out of the EFL Cup (1-2 vs. Reading), were also eliminated from the Hampshire Senior Cup (4-3 on penalties vs. Romsey Town). In addition, John Mousinho’s team is in 21st place in the Championship, just above the relegation zone. The Portsmouth vs. Arsenal odds for a home win therefore seem hopeless.
Portsmouth – Arsenal Head-to-head record
The home team has won only 14 of the 71 matches between the two sides and lost 33 times. John Mousinho’s team last celebrated a point against the Gunners on December 26, 2007, with a 0-0 draw. Since then, they have suffered five defeats in a row. However, the previous encounters are not really relevant, as the two teams last met in 2020 – also in the FA Cup.
At that time, however, the visitors were not yet at the level they are currently at. Nevertheless, the Red and Whites’ 2-0 victory is a good indicator of how Sunday’s game could go – as we know, FCA has not gotten any worse. This is also reflected in the Portsmouth vs. Arsenal betting odds. It is therefore not without reason that the maximum odds for a home win are 11.50.
Portsmouth – Arsenal Tip
Since a straight win bet has no value, we have opted for the Portsmouth vs. Arsenal betting tip “both teams to score – no.” Mikel Arteta’s team currently has the best defense in Europe, conceding only 16 goals in 30 competitive games. The Gunners kept a clean sheet 17 times (!), meaning they went without conceding a goal in almost 57% of their games.
Furthermore, John Mousinho’s team is not particularly dangerous in front of goal, scoring only 22 goals in 26 competitive games. We are therefore very confident that the “Blue Army” will remain goalless.
Alternatively, you can also add the Portsmouth vs. Arsenal odds for a win for the away team with a handicap of -1 to your betting slip. The defensive stability of the visitors is complemented by their offensive quality. Mikel Arteta’s team has already scored 52 goals this season and has only failed to score twice – both times against Liverpool FC, the reigning English champions.
When we also consider that the “Blue Army” has conceded 37 goals in 24 games, a clear victory for the Gunners seems almost certain. Even if the home side sits back, the goals will come, at the latest from set pieces.
