Portsmouth v Bournemouth: More misery in store for Pompey

The hangover from Portsmouth’s summer of turbulence has been as brutal as anticipated and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy looks unlikely to provide the respite they crave.

Bournemouth can be backed at 6/4 to win at Fratton Park and, given the host’s woeful early-season form, they should not be overlooked.

The Cherries themselves are not in the richest of veins as they prepare to make their second trip across the south coast inside a month following their 1-1 draw on the opening day of the season.

Alike Portsmouth, Bournemouth are yet to register three points this term but, prior to an eight-goal thriller at Sheffield United last time out, they were unbeaten in four successive games and haven’t failed to find the back of the net in League One so far.

Pompey have shipped eight goals in total this term and their feeble 1-0 home loss to Oldham in their previous match means they have netted just once in front of their own fans this term.

Heads will understandably drop on the terraces if visiting attackers Lee Barnard or Tommy Elphick manage to build on their decent starts to the season. The pair have netted four goals between them and if they add to that it’s difficult to envisage Portsmouth having anything in reply.

To further compound these fears further, Pompey have not managed to shut a single team out in their last 12 games, dating back to last season.

A further ominous sign for crisis club Portsmouth is that their next opponents have not been beaten in 90 minutes in six successive seasons in this competition; their only defeat coming in a shootout with Torquay two seasons back.

However, Pompey will be boosted by the fact that Bouremouth’s solidity in this competition has been centred on them pulling plenty of home draws out of the hat. Their record on the road in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is a dismal three defeats in three games.

Michael Appleton’s men have more pressing issues to address as their financially-fuelled fall from grace worsens by the week with the club now in the League One relegation zone and Bournemouth will be expecting to take advantage of this here.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.