Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
Portsmouth have endured a challenging season so far. It's not just the winless streak in many of their matches, but also the cancellation of two consecutive games in November. This has not helped reduce their gap from the relegation zone. Securing points against Bristol City at home will be particularly difficult.
Portsmouth
Due to these postponements, Portsmouth will have a heavy schedule in the second half of January, but for now, they only face Bristol City. After three weeks, they finally played a game, and it wasn't all bad. Swansea City, who are typically strong in defence, allowed Portsmouth to score twice. Of course, their defence is far from flawless, conceding goals in nine consecutive matches, as demonstrated by the recent 2:2 draw. However, they have scored in six out of the last eight games over the past two months, often resulting in both teams scoring.
Bristol City
Bristol City seldom fail to score: either when a top side denies them opportunities, as Leeds United did (0:0) — they managed four shots with none on target, or when most of their attempts are speculative and from outside the box, as seen against Watford (0:1). At Vicarage Road, they made 14 shots, hitting the target five times, but only one was a genuine scoring chance, resulting in just 0.70 xG. Otherwise, they have been consistent, finding the net in seven of their last ten games.
Portsmouth vs Bristol City Prediction
Portsmouth have recorded only two clean sheets all season, so they are likely to concede against the league's eighth-ranked attack (24 goals). However, they should also score, so our prediction is that both teams will score.
