Portsmouth vs Derby

19/1- Portsmouth have been the surprise package of the season and their performances have managed to hold them in the top half of the table for a good period of time. In fact for most of the time they gave the top teams a run for their money but the past few matches have changed the course of their season. They have lost 3 of their last 5 matches and just managed to win one with the remainder being a draw. They would be happy to take on the last placed Derby, who have just won a single match in this entire season and in the last 5 matches they have lost 4 and drawn one. Derby are a team that is practically out of the top league and should not pose a threat to Portsmouth, who are playing at home. This is also a good chance for Portsmouth to improve their home record and gain some useful points. Portsmouth are placed on the 9th position and just a couple of points behind the 8th placed Blackburn. Mwaruwari would be their best bet when it comes to the scoring options and Diop is the playmaker in their team. They would try to keep things simple and replicate the performances they delivered in the first half of the season. They would also try and learn from the mistakes they made last week in their loss against a weak team like Sunderland and would like to capitalise for the lost opportunity. Anything less than a win and 3 points would be immensely disappointing for the club, fans and players as well. Derby on the other hand have been isolated by the other teams in terms of points, they would be moving to the first division at the end of the season until something miraculously saves them. Prediction: 2-0, Portsmouth win