Competition: Championship
Market: West Brom win
Odds: 19/20 @ 1xBet
Looking to make it three Championship victories on the spin, West Brom will welcome Portsmouth to the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while West Brom might have eventually finished the 2024/25 campaign sat four points adrift of booking a play-off ticket, the Baggies haven̢۪t shown any signs of a hangover this time around. Despite watching their EFL Cup adventure come to an abrupt end at the hands of Derby on August 12th, new boss Ryan Mason has seen his squad enjoy a bright start to proceedings. Getting the new campaign underway with a gritty 1-0 victory against Blackburn, the former interim Tottenham boss saw his top-six contenders lay down a real marker last weekend. Eventually securing what was an action-packed 3-2 win away at Wrexham, West Brom are one of just three Championship clubs who have put six points on the board from their first two appearances. It should also be highlighted, continuing on from last season, Saturday̢۪s hosts have won three of their previous four Championship showdowns at the Hawthorns.
As for the visitors, while Portsmouth might have got their respective Championship adventure underway with a 1-0 victory against Oxford United on August 9th, John Mousinho̢۪s men have largely come crashing back down to earth. Along with suffering a shock EFL Cup exit following a 2-1 defeat at home against League One strugglers Reading, the Blues were also hit with another 2-1 loss at the hands of Norwich last weekend. With many predicting that the Hampshire-based outfit could find themselves at the heart of a relegation scrap this season, Portsmouth should also be concerned by their most recent showdown against the Magpies. Putting in what was a nightmare performance back on January 25th as they slumped to a 5-1 drumming in the Midlands, Mousinho̢۪s side look set for another stern examination here. It̢۪s also worth noting, Pompey have registered just a single Championship win away from Fratton Park since the middle of February.
Bet: West Brom 19/20 to beat Portsmouth in Saturday’s Championship contest @ 1xBet