2025-26 Sky Bet Championship: Week Five – Sunday

Southampton meet Portsmouth in the South Coast derby in a huge Championship clash. 

Victory will see Southampton climb to eighth but if they win by two goals or more, they will move up to seventh.

Portsmouth can climb as high as fourth if they take the win.

 

Team News

Southampton have no fresh injury concerns to report after the international break, with only Wellington ruled out due to an ankle injury, which saw him miss their last two matches.

Portsmouth could welcome their captain, Marlon Pack back into the squad for the first time this season following his recovery from a knee injury.

 

When is Kick-Off?

Southampton host Portsmouth at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday 14 September at 12pm BST, live on Sky Sports Main Event and ITV1 in the UK.

 

Stat Attack

• Southampton have won just one of their last five league meetings against Portsmouth (W1, D2, L2).
• Portsmouth have won just one of their last eight league visits to Southampton (W1, D3, L4).
• Neither Southampton nor Portsmouth kept a clean sheet in their last four league meetings, in which the Saints scored seven goals to Portsmouth’s eight.
• Southampton are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Championship this season (W1, D2, L1).
• Two of Portsmouth’s four league goals this season were scored by Adrian Segecic.

 

Prediction

Although Southampton definitely can score goals under Will Still, their defence in the league is frankly unstable to put it fairly with no clean sheets, but this game does feel like a chance to achieve a shutout if those not on international duty had worked largely on their defensive play in the break.

Portsmouth likewise can score goals whilst their defence is fairly better with two clean sheets in four league games, which will give them confidence given their overall recent head-to-head league form against the Saints but I do think that this will be a defensive test against the high-pressing hosts.

If Portsmouth can sit in and soak up the pressure but be equally clinical up front then I can see them nicking a point, yet my instinct is that Southampton’s quality will be the difference such is their home form over Pompey.

Prediction: Southampton 2-0 Portsmouth

Result: Southampton 0-0 Portsmouth