West Bromwich Albion vs Portsmouth Predictions

• Portsmouth have failed to win on their last eight visits to The Hawthorns
• West Brom have kept three clean sheets in their last 12 home matches
• Only Luton lost more Championship away games last season than Portsmouth’s total of 15

Baggies look geared for a successful campaign

West Brom looked like a team who are set to be challenging for at least a top-six spot in the Championship this season and they should have too much for Portsmouth at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

The Baggies beat Pompey 5-1 in the corresponding fixture last season and the south-coast outfit generally struggled on the road last term, tasting victory on just three occasions.

A 3-2 win for the home side at Wrexham demonstrated they are settling well under the stewardship of Ryan Mason and two wins from two looks an excellent foundation upon which to base a promotion push.

Scoring may be the limit of Pompey’s achievements

Portsmouth got their season off to a winning start by tasting success at Oxford, but a 2-1 home defeat to Norwich, when they conceded two early goals and were unable to recover, exposed their potential limitations.

They may take some solace from the fact Watford were the only team to finish in the bottom half to score more goals on the road last season, so they could find the net.

However, there are concerns they may not be able to get much from this trip, which is significantly more difficult than their visit to the Kassam Stadium, so take the Baggies to claim the three points, with a 2-1 home victory suggested for correct-score punting enthusiasts.