Plymouth Argyle v Portsmouth: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Plymouth Argyle and Portsmouth clash in the Battle of the Ports at Home Park, but the prize on offer is far greater than merely maritime bragging rights.

Argyle dropped into the Championship bottom three at the weekend and need a win to stop the bleeding while a victory for Pompey would take them off the foot of the division.

Plymouth Argyle v Portsmouth betting tips and predictions

Plymouth win - 6/5

Eleven of the Pilgrims' 12 points have come at fortress Home Park, which is a source of real confidence as they brace themselves for a showdown with south coast rivals Pompey.

This is a crunch clash between Wayne Rooney's Argyle, who have dropped into the bottom three, and John Mousinho's Pompey, who have been marooned in the relegation places for weeks now.

A win would see the Blues go above Plymouth and give them a real lift heading into the international break.

But they know they will have to defeat in Plymouth a side who have accrued more points on their own patch then West Brom, Norwich City and several other higher placed Championship sides.

Argyle go into the match on the back of a 3-0 drubbing at Leeds United, a defeat that was fairly predictable given the relative strengths of the sides and the fact that the Pilgrims are making precious little progress on their travels.

At Home Park, in contrast, they have won three of their six fixtures, including a 2-2 toppling of leaders Sunderland and in their last home game, roared on by a passionate crowd, they fought back from three goals down to draw 3-3 with Preston North End.

The size of the challenge facing Portsmouth is obvious, arguably made harder by the fact they haven't kept a clean sheet on the road in seven league games.

They boast the joint-worst defensive record on their travels, a statistic skewed by the 6-1 drubbing meted out by Stoke City. Their one away win was a 2-1 triumph at QPR and they will doubtless by buoyed by Saturday's 1-1 draw at Hull City after falling behind.

Plymouth, though, have turned home advantage into an art form and that level of self-confidence, plus the fact Portsmouth are bottom and conceding plenty, makes the hosts an attractive proposition.

Freddie Issaka goal or assist - 15/8

Wayne Rooney left plenty of attacking talent on the bench at Leeds on Saturday, quite possibly with one eye on this showdown with Portsmouth.

The likes of Morgan Whittaker, Michael Obafemi and Freddie Issaka never took their tracksuits off at the weekend, with Leeds three up and out of sight by half-time.

Now back at home and needing to put that loss behind them, the former England skipper will no doubt gather his attacking cavalry and order a front-foot performance from a group who average more home shots per game than the likes of Norwich, Blackburn Rovers and even Sunderland.

Teenager Issaka looks a lively young talent, headstrong given his red card in the 1-1 draw at QPR in August, but both creative and a goal threat.

He scored his first senior goal in the 3-3 draw with Preston 10 days ago and is averaging almost a shot per game, not bad when he has been used chiefly off the bench.

Rooney has a few key figures missing this week, among them joint-top scorer Ibrahim Cissoko, who has been serving a ban and is now injured. Issaka will get another chance and he can land odds of 15/8 in the player to score or assist market.

Over 5.5 Plymouth corners - 10/11

It might be relatively early in the season but the significance of this match isn't lost on anyone at Home Park.

It's where they do all their best work and while they continue to struggle on their travels it's clear they need to keep on the gas at their Devon hideaway.

They are positive at home, winning almost five corners per game, and they can up that tally against Pompey.

Portsmouth concede almost eight corners per game on the road so over 5.5 Argyle corners at 10/11 makes betting sense.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site

Plymouth Argyle v Portsmouth odds

Plymouth Argyle - 6/5
Draw - 12/5
Portsmouth - 11/5

View the full market and more odds for Plymouth Argyle v Portsmouth on site

Read Plymouth Argyle v Portsmouth how to watch, TV channel, head-to-head stats, team news and more on site

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.