Bradford vs Portsmouth Predictions

Portsmouth have failed to win either of their last two matches, but they’ve not lost either of those, while this fixture against a Bradford side that is struggling massively presents the league leaders with the perfect opportunity to regain the winning thread. Given Bradford’s woes, Kenny Jackett will be expecting his men to go to Valley Parade and take all three points.

To say that Bradford are struggling at present is probably an understatement, such has been the level of the Bantams’ recent performances. They’ve now lost each of their last six matches and at very few points during that time have David Hopkins’ men put up a real fight. They’re leaking goals left, right and centre, and are doing very little to stay competitive at the other end of proceedings. Bradford are already on their second manager of the season, though if results don’t improve soon it probably won’t be long before they’re searching for a third.

Having conceded four at home to an in-form Coventry side, Bradford won’t have been feeling too confident ahead of last Saturday’s game, but they had an excellent opportunity to get a result against a Gillingham side that is also struggling, though the way in which the Bantams were bowled over by a rival of that calibre was very, very disappointing. If they’re faring so poorly against the Gills, then it’s easy to see a side of Portsmouth’s quality doing some real damage on Saturday.

As far as Pompey are concerned, well, the league leaders have enjoyed themselves this season. Right from the word go, Kenny Jackett’s men have stamped their mark on the division and they’re deservedly challenging at the right end of the table.

Their performances on the road haven’t always been sparkling, but they’ve developed a toughness that is often found in teams challenging for titles. Very few teams have really got at Portsmouth, while Jackett’s men have tended to have that extra bit of quality when it matters most, which is why they’re unbeaten in eight on their travels.

What’s more, the underlying numbers that Pompey have produced away from home are far better than those produced by Bradford at Valley Parade. Away from home, Portsmouth are averaging 1.52 expected goals, while Bradford are averaging just 0.97 at home. On top of that, the visitors have a respectable average expected goal difference of +0.10 on their travels, while Bradford have an average expected goal difference of -0.66 at home.

From a betting point of view, the selection that stands out is ‘Portsmouth to Score Over 1.5 Goals’. Pompey haven’t always flourished offensively on their travels, but they’ve done more than enough to suggest that they can really hurt Bradford’s weak back-line, that has conceded at least twice in six out of eight home matches this season.