Portsmouth v Plymouth Argyle: Free Tips, Prediction and Odds

Less than 72 hours after dealing a knockout blow to Championship leaders Leeds United, Portsmouth will hear the bell ring again when they face Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday evening.

Having moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone with Sunday’s 1-0 Fratton Park win, John Mousinho’s side can take another giant stride towards safety if they can beat the rock-bottom Pilgrims.

Miron Muslic’s men hit the canvas again on Saturday when a 3-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday sent them back to the foot of the table with 10 games left to play this season. 

Argyle are without a victory in their last six matches in all competitions and currently six points behind 21st-placed Cardiff City.

They will have to box clever to beat Pompey, who have only lost once at Fratton Park since October with the best home record outside the top half.

Portsmouth v Plymouth Argyle free betting tips and predictions

Double Chance - Draw or Plymouth - 23/20

When Plymouth beat 1-0 Pompey in November under then manager Wayne Rooney, the Devon club they were three points clear of the bottom three and Mousinho’s men were five adrift of safety.

But the tide has turned on the south coast and now Pompey are 10 points clear of the drop zone, with Argyle seven adrift of the safety line.

Pompey have more than doubled Plymouth’s tally of points in the intervening period, a run which could ultimately prove them right for sticking by Mousinho when things were looking bleak.

The Argyle players have struggled to adapt to their mid-season managerial change and it is clear from recent performances that they are still not clicking.

However, the return of Ryan Hardie from injury is a welcome boost, with Muslic describing the loss of his 'best goalscorer' as hard to overcome.

The visitors can also take some encouragement from their excellent record in recent clashes with Pompey, having not lost any of their eight league meetings.

Portsmouth are heavily fancied to win this because of their superb home record and the backing they get at Fratton Park.

But Plymouth are capable of defending doggedly, as they showed during their recent FA Cup run, and can take advantage of any drop in Pompey’s performance levels from the weekend.

Both Teams to Score - 5/6

Both teams have scored in six of the last eight meetings between these sides with four of those contests finishing 2-2.

It is hard to imagine Plymouth doing what only one team - Sheffield Wednesday - has done since September and scoring two goals at Fratton Park, but Argyle are capable of netting at some time in the game.

Pompey have kept only five clean sheets in their last 14 home Championship games and were indebted to goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid for a couple of superb saves that kept Leeds at bay on Sunday.

The Austrian has a safe pair of hands and may be able to stop the Pilgrims from breaching Pompey’s defence again on Wednesday, but the odds look worth taking on for both teams finding the back of the net again. 

Plymouth, who have scored in four of their last six away games, including at Manchester City in the FA Cup, have shut out only one of their 18 away league opponents this term.

Regan Poole to be carded - 7/2

Portsmouth centre-back Regan Poole has been no stranger to referees lately, collecting four yellow cards in his last nine appearances.

The Welshman was cautioned for a going to ground with a lunging challenge on Leeds’ Joel Piroe last Sunday, while he was booked for a bad foul after coming off the bench in Pompey’s recent 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.

Referee Matt Donohue is not among the more lenient EFL officials, as his record of 75 yellow cards and four reds in 19 Championship appearances proves.

Therefore, Poole may find himself in trouble if he keeps up his recent trend of diving into tackles.

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Portsmouth v Plymouth Argyle odds

Portsmouth - 4/6
Draw - 27/10
Plymouth Argyle - 4/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.