- Southampton have won all four of their Championship 2026-2027 home games so far, scoring 15 goals.
- Portsmouth have drawn their last two games following a 2-0 win over Cardiff City at home, a 0-0 draw away to Charlton and a 2-2 home draw with Blackburn Rovers.
- Portsmouth have mixed results on the road, conceding just 1.00 goal per away game.
Saints should make Portsmouth pay
The Saints are clear favourites for Sunday's local derby at St. Mary's Stadium, where they have been in irresistible form on home soil in the Championship 2026-2027. Tonda Eckert's flexible, free-flowing, high-pressing approach has produced four wins out of four at home so far this season with 15 goals scored, but the visitors should be in good nick to put up a fight.
Pompey have won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five games, which puts them 19th in the standings with eight points from seven games, while Southampton are 13th with ten points from eight. Portsmouth's three away games in the Championship 2026-2027 have resulted in one win, one draw and one defeat, but they have only conceded an average of 1.00 goal per match away.
With Portsmouth likely to put up a more organised and structured performance, we could see a different kind of game than the Saints have become used to playing. Pompey have a basic 4-2-3-1 system but John Mousinho has made them adaptable, both in terms of being able to press high or deep and having a couple of build-up options.
Expect a close affair
Marko Milovanovic is Pompey's top scorer with two goals in five games, while he has also scored two of his team's last five. Cyle Larin is the main danger for the hosts with seven goals in eight games in the Championship 2026-2027 and has scored three of the last ten scored by the Saints.
The odds for this match make little sense as far as the betting market goes, with Southampton at 57/100, Portsmouth 17/4 and the draw 31/10. The draw is the value option in this game, but the home side look likelier to edge it and the derby game could be a close game with a couple of goals.
Both teams to score: Yes looks a decent alternative at 7/10, however, as Pompey are likely to press and the transition play between these two should offer opportunities for both teams to register a few times.
A 1-1 draw is taken in correct score markets as Southampton have not failed to win at home and Pompey have drawn away in this competition. Both meetings between these sides in the Championship 2025/2026 ended level, with the more recent game being a 1-1 home result for Portsmouth eight months ago.
