Portsmouth vs Tranmere Predictions

Pompey were beaten last weekend, though they didn’t let their opening-day defeat prevent them from delivering a solid effort in the League Cup on Wednesday night. Having beaten Championship opposition just a few days ago, Kenny Jackett’s men will come into this match feeling confident.

On the face of it, Portsmouth were disappointing on match-day one; they registered just three shots on target, failed to score, while a couple of their summer signings also failed to really sparkle. However, if we scratch beneath the surface, we can see that Pompey, while not being brilliant, were unlucky to lose. In truth, not only were they unfortunate to lose, but they probably did just about enough to warrant all three points, or at least that’s what a shot supremacy, shots on target supremacy and expected goal difference of +0.94 suggests.

Fortunately, unlike any other League One club, Portsmouth had the chance to bounce back during the week, as they played in the League Cup, and bounce back they did. After a dominant display that culminated in a 3-0 win over Championship side Birmingham, Kenny Jackett’s men will come into their first league match at Fratton Park feeling ultra-confident.

Tranmere were unable to repeat their rather solid 18/19 home form first time out, as they found themselves conceding three goals on route to losing against Rochdale. They weren’t completely outplayed, in fact, they bettered their opponents in terms of expected goals, shots and shots on target, though they left it too late before capitalising in front of goal, by which time they were already three goals down.

Going forward, as they created 1.54 expected goals for, scored twice, registered 19 shots, six of which hit the target, Tranmere did well offensively, but when push came to shove, they didn’t do enough at the back. If they can improve defensively, then there’s hope for Micky Mellon’s men.

As far as betting on this game goes, the current price of ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ catches the eye. Portsmouth showed that they’re intent on flexing their attacking muscles at Fratton Park when scoring three times against Birmingham on Tuesday night. A repeat performance would surely see them hurt a Tranmere rear-guard that was easily breached last weekend, though the visitors shouldn’t be discounted from an attacking approach. If we add in the fact that they notched twice and posted 1.54 expected goals for on match-day one, then the selection appears to be ever so slightly overpriced.