Portsmouth will look to cause a mini shock on Saturday when then host early Championship pacesetters Middlesbrough at Fratton Park.
EFL Championship
Our Three Predictions For Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough
- First Prediction: Middlesbrough To Win – 13/10
- Second Prediction: Both Teams To Score – 4/5
- Third Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals – 19/20
First Prediction For Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough – Middlesbrough To Win – 13/10
Portsmouth enter this game on a run of four games without a win, although did secure a late point on Wednesday night when they drew 2-2 with Watford. That result did come off the back of successive defeats though, and Pompey have won just twice in the Championship all season. Only one of those has come at Fratton Park, where they edged past Preston North End by a single goal. Aside from the midweek tie, John Mousinho’s men have lost twice at home, having been beaten by Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday.
Middlesbrough remain top of the division but have drawn three of their last four. They played out a 0-0 stalemate at the Riverside Stadium against fellow promotion chasers Stoke City on Tuesday, whilst a 1-1 away tie against Southampton may be viewed as a decent point. With Coventry City closing in, Rob Edwards will be targeting a return to winning ways here. He will certainly fancy his chances against a team struggling at the wrong end of the table.
Second Prediction For Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough – Both Teams To Score – 4/5
Portsmouth don’t score a lot of goals, although they have only failed to find the back of the net on two occasions thus far. One of those came at St Mary’s against rivals Southampton in a 0-0 draw but John Mousinho will have been hugely disappointed to have lost 2-0 at home against struggling Sheffield Wednesday. The defeat against the Owls is the only time in which they haven’t scored at Fratton Park this season, but they have conceded in three of their four home outings.
Middlesbrough’s 0-0 draw with Stoke on Tuesday was the first time this season in which they have failed to score. However, they have netted in every single game on the road. Furthermore, eight of their 12 goals thus far have been scored away from the Riverside Stadium. However, four of the five they have conceded have also come outside of Teesside.
Third Prediction For Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough – Over 2.5 Goals – 19/20
With Portsmouth tending to score at Fratton Park, Middlesbrough are likely to need to net two to pick up the three points. Pompey have only been involved in three fixtures that have seen three or more goals, but two of them have come in front of their own supporters. The last of those was on Wednesday for the 2-2 draw with Watford.
Boro rank seventh overall in the division when it comes to games hitting this market, but that increases significantly when taking into account just their away fixtures. No other team in the Championship has been involved in more high scoring games on the road, with 75% of their games away from the Riverside Stadium hitting this marker.
Best Odds For Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough
| Bookmaker | Portsmouth | Draw | Middlesbrough |
| NRGBet Sports | 19/10 | 12/5 | 13/10 |
| Bet442 Sport | 2/1 | 5/2 | 13/10 |
| 7bet Sports | 5/1 | 12/5 | 9/7 |
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Portsmouth started the season full of optimism when they beat Oxford United 1-0 at the Kassam Stadium on the opening day. However, their first match of the campaign at Fratton Park saw them lose 2-1 to Norwich City. A three-game unbeaten run followed, first drawing 1-1 away at West Bromwich Albion before a narrow 1-0 victory against Preston North End. A 0-0 draw with rivals Southampton at St Mary’s was a decent result but they handed Sheffield Wednesday their first and only win of the season when the Owls left the south coast with a 2-0 triumph. A 2-1 reverse at Ipswich Town last weekend was perhaps expected, although Marlon Pack’s late goal was too-little-too-late after a disappointing first half showing. Pompey slightly recovered on Wednesday night to pick up a 2-2 draw with Watford.
Rob Edwards was drafted in in the summer to replace Michael Carrick following last season’s failure to reach the play-offs. A winless pre-season dampened expectations somewhat, but the former Luton Town boss showed that he can turn it on when it really matters with a 1-0 victory over Swansea City on the opening day. Two excellent away triumphs followed when they picked up maximum points at Millwall (3-0) and Norwich City (2-1). A fourth successive win, this time over Sheffield United (1-0), saw Boro rise to the top of the table, although they dropped their first points of the campaign the following week. A trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End proved a tricky encounter and it looked as if the home side had snatched the points when Jordan Storey put the hosts 2-1 up with two minutes remaining. However, Sontje Hansen bagged in added time to secure a 2-2 draw. A return to winning ways when they beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium, but they enter this game on the back of two successive draws against Southampton (1-1) and Stoke City (0-0).
There is plenty of history in this fixture but last season’s meetings were the first for 12 years. The pair played out a 2-2 draw at the Riverside in August 2024 whilst Portsmouth won 2-1 at Fratton Park in January. Middlesbrough last beat Pompey in 2012, but that came on the road. They’ve not beaten this opposition at home since 2008, when both clubs were playing in the Premier League. Boro do edge the head to head record, winning 42 times to Pompey’s 39. The previous 113 meetings have also produced 32 draws.
Confrontation
Where To Watch Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough
Where can I watch this game, either in person or on TV?
- Location: Fratton Park, 44 Frogmore Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO4 8RA
- Date: October 4th, 2025
- TV Channel: This game is not scheduled for TV broadcast.
Probable Lineups For Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough
Predicted Portsmouth Lineup
- Lineup: Bursik; Williams, Knight, Poole, Ogilvie; Pack, Swift; Chaplin, Kosznovszky Min-Hyeok, Bishop
- Injured/Suspended: Schmid, Shaughnessy, Umeh, Lang, Waddingham, Murphy
- Manager: John Mousinho
Predicted Middlesbrough Lineup
- Lineup: Brynn; Ayling, Silvera, Jones, Targett; Hackney, Browne, Morris; Whittaker, Conway; Strelec
- Injured/Suspended: Dieng, Lenihan, Mcgree, Edmundson, Brittain
- Manager: Rob Edwards
