Accrington Stanley vs Portsmouth Predictions

• Accrington Stanley have won four of their five League One home games this season.
• Portsmouth have lost four of their last five League One away games.
• Harry Pell has scored three goals in his last three games for Stanley.

Stanley should cut through plummeting Pompey

Accrington Stanley should continue their solid home results sequence when they come up against a plummeting Portsmouth team in League One on Saturday.

John Coleman’s side won a five-goal thriller at The Valley in midweek to move into tenth place and will see Pompey as another beatable opponent given their record at Wham Stadium.

Stanley have won four of their five games on home turf with only the 4-1 defeat to Wigan last month spoiling the run. The Latics have the best away record in the division, so there should be no shame in that.

In stark contrast, Portsmouth have lost four of their seven away games this season with their solitary road win coming on opening weekend against Fleetwood. Danny Cowley’s defence fell apart at the end of August and have now conceded 14 times in their last five away games.

Bell tolls for Cowley as Pompey fans sing the Blues

Blues fans were heard singing ironic songs about having possession of the ball during Tuesday’s 4-0 home hammering by Ipswich, suggesting they have seen enough. The signs are there that this team isn’t playing for the manager any more and another defeat looks likely when they travel to Lancashire.

Our selection is to back the hosts just to win because Portsmouth, despite having scored seven in their last five away trips, are not to be trusted in any way right now. A 2-1 correct score bet only makes sense if you ignore how bad they were on Tuesday night, but they have scored in each of their three most recent league games outside of Fratton Park.

Stanley forward Harry Pell is worthy of support in the anytime goalscorer market. A streaky finisher, he has three in his last three games and hit the crossbar with a free-kick, having converted another against Charlton on Tuesday.