Stoke have gone four games without winning
Portsmouth have won three of their last four fixtures
Recommended bet: Portsmouth draw no bet
Stoke are on a sequence of seven consecutive bottom-half finishes and are guaranteed more of the same if they fail to defeat Portsmouth at the bet365 Stadium.
The Potters had hope that things would be different in their first full season under Mark Robins, but they failed to build on a bright start which yielded 27 points from their first 14 matches.
Robins’s injury-hit side have been on the slide in recent weeks and are approaching the Portsmouth game with the aim of ending a four-game winless sequence.
While Stoke are frustrated by their lower, mid-table placing, Portsmouth seem quite satisfied having fought a successful battle against the drop.
The south-coast side are seven points clear of the bottom three but they will be looking for a response after Tuesday’s 5-1 reverse at leaders Coventry.
The latest Stoke vs Portsmouth odds are availble at LiveScore Bet
Team news
On-loan Tottenham centre-back Ashley Phillips returned from suspension to feature in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss at home to Millwall. But Stoke remained stretched in defence with Aaron Cresswell (knee), Bosun Lawal (hamstring), Junior Tchamadeu (muscle strain), Ben Gibson (groin), Ben Wilmot (leg) and Maksym Talovierov (ankle) out of contention. Goalkeeper Viktor Johansson (shoulder) and midfielder Tomas Rigo (muscle strain) are the other occupants of a busy treatment room.
Portsmouth have dealt with many injuries over the course of the campaign and are still stretched with Keshi Anderson, Terry Devlin, Franco Umeh (all hamstring), Gustavo Caballero (muscle strain), Aji Alese (calf), Mark Kosznovszky and Zak Swanson (both knee) on the sidelines. However, captain Marlon Pack should return after he was rested for the trip to Coventry.
The latest Stoke vs Portsmouth odds are availble at LiveScore Bet
The stats
Stoke have lost four of their last six matches by a two-goal margin.
The Potters have kept only one clean sheet in their last 14 fixtures.
Stoke have conceded the opening goal in each of their last four games.
Six of Stoke’s last eight matches have featured at least three goals.
Both teams have scored in seven of Portsmouth’s last eight away fixtures.
The latest Stoke vs Portsmouth odds are availble at LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Portsmouth have guaranteed a third successive season of Championship football and they can rack up a 14th league win by seeing off out-of-sorts Stoke in Staffordshire.
Pompey gaffer John Mousinho was reluctant to criticise his players after their heavy midweek defeat at Coventry, but he will be looking for a response.
Mousinho’s men were 1-0 winners at Middlesbrough earlier this month and they have the tools to cause problems for Stoke, who are short of recognised defenders.
Stoke have shipped multiple goals in seven of their last ten matches and their loose defending could contribute to a third straight defeat.
Back Portsmouth draw no bet at 41/50 with LiveScore Bet
The latest Stoke vs Portsmouth odds are availble at LiveScore Bet
