West Brom beat Portsmouth home and away last season
The Baggies have taken six points from their opening two matches
Recommended bet: West Brom to win and over 2.5 goals
West Brom have made a perfect start to life in the Championship under new head coach Ryan Mason, backing up their opening-day win over Blackburn with a thrilling 3-2 victory against Wrexham.
Mason, embarking on his first full-time managerial role after his time on the coaching staff at Tottenham, has seen his side respond with energy and confidence. Early signs suggest the club’s decision to hand the 34-year-old the reins could pay dividends.
Next up is a meeting with Portsmouth, who have experienced a mixed start to the campaign. John Mousinho’s team began brightly with a 1-0 success at Oxford, but since then they have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Reading and edged out 2-1 at home by Norwich.
Despite that setback, Pompey showed plenty of attacking intent against the Canaries and might have claimed a result had Colby Bishop converted his penalty.
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Team News
West Brom are likely to be without Daryl Dike and Tammer Bany, who are both yet to play any part of the season so far.
Mason has an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from, but given their impressive start to the season, the new boss may decide to go in with the same XI that started against Wrexham.
However, two assists from the bench for Mikey Johnston and a goal from Jed Wallace may have pushed their case for getting into the starting XI this weekend.
Harvey Blair is making progress on his return for Portsmouth but is still several weeks away from first-team action. Callum Lang joins him on the sidelines and is expected to be out for around six weeks following a hamstring injury.
New signing Josh Knight will join the squad for the trip to The Hawthorns, though more likely as a substitute than a starter.
The latest West Brom vs Portsmouth odds are available on LiveScore Bet
The stats
The Baggies are one of three teams to have made a 100% start in the Championship, after a 1-0 win over Blackburn and an entertaining 3-2 victory against Wrexham.
Isaac Price struck twice against Wrexham before substitute Jed Wallace added a decisive third.
Price now has three goals to his name this season and is the man to watch.
Portsmouth have lost two and won one of their matches so far this season, scoring once in each of their three fixtures.
New signing Adrian Sergecic has settled well with two goals and an assist.
The latest West Brom vs Portsmouth odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
West Brom’s strong start under Mason looks set to continue when they face Portsmouth, and goals should be on the cards at The Hawthorns.
The Baggies opened with a narrow 1-0 win over Blackburn before edging Wrexham 3-2 in an entertaining clash last weekend. Price has been their standout performer, driving forward from midfield and adding goals to his game.
For Portsmouth, Bishop remains a reliable focal point in attack, and summer signing Segecic has already caught the eye with two goals and an assist.
Both teams have scored in two of West Brom’s three matches this season and in all of Pompey’s league outings, suggesting another lively contest is likely.
Last season’s meetings ended 5-1 and 3-0 in Albion’s favour, and while a repeat may be ambitious, the hosts should have enough firepower to win again in a high-scoring encounter.
Back West Brom to win and over 2.5 goals at 17/10 with LiveScore Bet
The latest West Brom vs Portsmouth odds are available on LiveScore Bet
