Southampton vs Portsmouth prediction: Saints to take bragging rights in south coast derby

Southampton face Portsmouth in the Championship on Sunday in what is the first league meeting between these two south coast rivals for 13 years.

The Saints made a return to the second division at the start of this season and find themselves with one win, one loss and two draws so far after an admittedly difficult start against Ipswich, Watford and an in-form Stoke City.

That string of results means Pompey sit five places above their rivals with four games gone, with the club having picked up wins over Preston and Oxford United so far this term.

But while betting sites still have Southampton among the favourites for promotion – with Championship odds around 7/4 – Portsmouth are seen as far more likely to go down than to mount any promotion push, with Championship relegation odds as low as 13/2 for the former FA Cup winners to go down a division.

With this in mind, it’s hardly surprising that football betting sites have the Saints as overwhelming favourites for Sunday’s game, with Pompey outsiders on the road.

Few would have predicted Southampton to be sitting in 13th by the time this game came around, though the nature of the Championship can shock teams on their return to the second division, as seen by title favourites Ipswich, who currently lie in 20th.

But while the Saints’ occupy a lowly position for now, their respective draws against Watford and Ipswich weren’t necessarily bad results, and Still will have taken some encouragement so far.

Meanwhile, Pompey boss John Mousinho may not have expected to be eighth at this early stage, and while position in the table means very little four games in, he’ll be encouraged by the win over Preston, even if the victory over Oxford United was practically a given.

Recent form often goes out of the window when entering a derby game – especially the first for 13 years – but the Saints remain overwhelming favourites nonetheless, with home advantage and superior squad quality likely to tell in this one.

Still’s side have scored in each of their opening games, with six goals across their four fixtures including against Ipswich, an in-form Stoke and two against Watford at Vicarage Road. While results haven’t been as positive, this weekend’s game is a huge opportunity to pick up a big result, and we think they’ll do that.

However, we don’t think the Saints will have it all their own way. Pompey are performing better than expected to open the season and they’ve scored a goal in each of their opening games, while conceding just three goals.

And to that end, we think that while the hosts will win on the day, a wager on both teams to score might also prove good value.

Southampton vs Portsmouth prediction 1: Southampton to win, both teams to score - 12/5 Ladbrokes

Saints striker Cameron Archer may have felt unlucky not to start any of the opening three matches, though he repaid the faith of Will Still with a goal in the opening 10 minutes of the match against Watford on his first start in the league.

Part of the reason the English youngster started against the Hornets could have been down to his goalscoring against Norwich in the EFL Cup too, with Archer having opening the scoring in that 3-0 win four days before the Watford game.

Archer remains in the running to win the golden boot, with the early Championship top scorer odds pricing him at 20/1, and his performances against Watford and Norwich illustrate why many think that the future is bright for the England U21 international.

While Adam Armstrong started the first three games of the season, the 28-year-old is yet to score this season, with Archer taking his chance on both occasions in which he’s started. If the 23-year-old can continue this small streak of form, he will likely find himself ousting Armstrong from the starting line-up in the long term.

Whether or not Still will start Archer or Armstrong this weekend remains to be seen, but with Armstrong at odds of 6/5 despite not having scored in four games (and three starts), we think a wager on Archer to score anytime provides better value, especially against a weaker Portsmouth side.

Southampton vs Portsmouth prediction 2: Cameron Archer to score anytime - 7/4 Bet365

Southampton: Full-back Wellington is the only long-term absentee for the Saints, while Sam Edozie and Joe Aribo could make returns.

Portsmouth: Callum Lang and Harvey Blair will miss the game, while Marlon Pack is a doubt as he continues to recover from injury.

Bettors can secure £50 in free bets by signing up for Betfred and betting on Southampton vs Portsmouth.

New customers can use the link below before using the Betfred promo code BETFRED50 to register an account.

Users must then deposit £10 and bet £10 on Southampton vs Portsmouth or any other market with odds of evens or greater to qualify for the betting sign up offer.

Once your qualifying bet has settled, you’ll receive £50 in free bets paid out in 5 x £10 installments. Free bets are active for seven days.

If you’re having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your gambling, whether you’re using online bookies, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other gambling platform.

Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help you stay in control.

Try not to get carried away by free bet offers or casino bonuses, which are widely available on gambling apps.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.