Championship: Blackpool vs Portsmouth Odds and Betting Preview

BLACKPOOL, UK - Blackpool host Portsmouth in the Championship this Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports. Blackpool are clear favourites to win the game, priced best at 8/11 (bet £11 to win £8) with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, whlie Portsmouth are best at 9/2 with Bet Victor to beat the west-coasters, and 4/1 or 7/2 with most other firms. Punters can get 14/5 on the draw, only with Bet365.

Both sides have left the Premier League in recent years - Blackpool on the last day of last season, and Pompey a season earlier, but the south coast's financial troubles have meant that they haven't been able to recover from the relegation and launch an assault on the upper echelons of the league. Blackpool are chasing promotion, most likely through the play-offs, though automatic promotion isn't out of the question - they are in 5th place, only four points off 2nd-placed Southampton. 

Portsmouth are in 17th place of the 24-team league, a healthy ten points above the drop zone. While they have a fairly poor away record, as you'd expect of a team in lower midtable mediocrity, but they haven't completely failed on the road. Of the 15 games away from Fratton Park, Pompey have  managed four draws, as well as beating Peterborough and Burnley. They would most probably take a point from this game, and you can back Pompey with a draw no bet at 14/5 with Bet Victor, while they are best at 11/10 with Bet365 to win the game with a (+1) goal handicap.

Blackpool have a very strong home record, as you'd expect from a team chasing promotion, having lost only two games at home all season, and failing to win only five of the fourteen games at Bloomfield Road so far this season. They have the second best home defence in the league, keeping a clean sheet in 43% of home matches.

They are 11/5 to win to nil with Paddy Power, and 6/4 with Coral to keep a clean sheet. It is a best price of 9/2, only with Stan James and Paddy Power that Blackpool win both halves, while Paddy Power are also offering 23/10 that Blackpool win by two goals or more in the handicap market. 

6 of Blackpool's 9 home wins have been by a one-goal margin however, and it is best at 7/1 with Coral that Blackpool win by a 1-0 scoreline. 2-1 to the home side is best at 15/2, again with Coral, while Ladbrokes are offering 8/1 for a 2-0 Blackpool victory. 1-1 is 13/2 with William Hill and Coral, while you can back Pompey to sneak a 1-0 win at 12/1 with Stan James.

There have been a slightly lower than average figure of 2.43 goals per game on average at Bloomfield Road this season, with most leagues seeing around 2.7 goals per game over the course of the season. Having said this, 57% of Blackpool's games have gone over 2.5 goals, and you can back over 2.5 at 19/20 with Bet365, with most other firms offering there or thereabouts. 

67% of Pompey's away games have gone under 2.5 goals however, which you can back at a top price of 10/11 with Bodog and Ladbrokes.

The match kicks off at 1720 GMT and is live on Sky Sports.

Match Result Odds