Portsmouth vs Sunderland
FreeToday’s hosts Portsmouth are safe from relegation but their visitors Sunderland aren’t quite safe yet, although that is from a purely mathematical perspective, of course. Any sane human being will realise that both Hull City and Newcastle United will not simultaneously win their last game and wreak havoc amongst the Mackems. Indeed, I’ll be surprised if either of those sides win on the day! So it’s fair to say that this encounter doesn’t have a large amount riding on it but both managers would like to keep their fans happy, being as they’re both relatively new to their current jobs and the Premier League is one of the most impatient leagues in the world.
The last two times these two clubs have met, Portsmouth have won the game. The simple reasoning I can offer for this is that they are just better than Sunderland. Portsmouth have experienced players and International players in abundance, although the cohesion doesn’t quite show it at the moment. The visitors have a few good players themselves, although they’re more notorious for their tremendous work ethic than their footballing ability. Barring some form of minor miracle, I really can’t see Sunderland scoring tonight against a resolute Pompey back 4 with experienced David James in goal. Ironically, if Sunderland do score, I’m quietly confident that it would be because of the experienced David James! Portsmouth have a good attacking threat with the rampant runs of Belhadj and Johnson from the full-back position. Their full-backs have good stamina, pace, and ability to beat a man because the majority of Portsmouth’s goal threat comes from 200cm tall striker Peter Crouch, who is their leading goalscorer this season. I think it’s fair to say that if he turns up, Portsmouth will win the game. For me, the hosts only have to really keep an eye on one of Sunderland’s players – Trinidad & Tobago striker Kenwyne Jones. The powerful striker can be a tremendous handful on his day and is capable of creating and scoring goals. However, for me, there will only be one winner tonight and that’s Portsmouth. My call is 2-0 and I think it’s a safe bet to back Peter Crouch to score at least one of them.
Monday’s Picks
My tips:
My favourite bet of the day is a 4-team accumulator including Helsingborgs, Atvidabergs, Inter Turku and Portsmouth at approximately 11/1.
Alternatively, you could try your hand at a 5-team accumulator involving Fram Reykjavik, Tampines Rovers, FH Hafnarfjordur, Fjolnir Reykjavik and Slavia Prague. The odds should be in the region of 17/1, interestingly enough!
For the complete picks listing, see below!
Bulgarian A PFG:
Vihren Sandanski vs Pirin Blagoevgrad (7) 1-2
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Viktoria Zizkov vs Slavia Prague (8) 1-2
Danish Superligaen:
Nordsjaelland vs Vejle (6) 1-0
English Premier League:
Portsmouth vs Sunderland (8) 2-0, Crouch to score at any time
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
KuPS Kuopio vs Inter Turku (8) 1-2
French Ligue 2:
Boulogne vs Strasbourg (7)
Icelandic Landsbankadeild Karla:
Fram Reykjavik vs Fylkir Reykjavik (8) 2-1
Fjolnir Reykjavik vs UMF Grindavik (8) 2-0
Keflavik vs Valur Reykjavik (6) 1-1
Breidablik Kopavogur vs FH Hafnarfjordur (8) 1-2
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Maccabi Haifa vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv (7) 2-1
Italian Serie B:
Grosseto vs Brescia (7)
Singaporean S-League:
Tampines Rovers vs Woodlands (8) 2-0
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Orgryte vs BK Hacken (6) 1-1
Helsingborgs vs Trelleborgs (8) 2-0
Djurgardens vs AIK Solna (7) 1-2
Swedish Superettan:
Atvidabergs vs Norrkoping (8) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!