We have spent all season saying that Wigan are the most inconsistent & unpredictable side in the Premier League while Portsmouth are already relegated yet showed incredible character & belief to knock-out Tottenham in the Cup so anything really is possible in this match.
Wigan’s needs for the 3 points is obviously much greater than Portsmouth & the victory for West Ham United at the weekend has piled massive pressure on Wigan because they are now in 17th place & the sitting targets for Hull City & Burnley to aim at.
Roberto Martinez knows that this match is the best opportunity Wigan have to gain 3 more massively important points & this match is Wigan’s opportunity to virtually make sure they are safe as a win will take them 7 points clear of Burnley which is a massive gap with only 4 games to go.
Wigan do always play consistent, positive passing football but their major weakness is a failure to score enough goals with only 14 scored in their 16 home league games to date & that does make it hard for them to convert draws in to wins and this match could produce a similar scenario.
Portsmouth, through their own doing I must add, have been up against it all seeason, they are already relegated, facing financial meltdown off the pitch & yet incredibly Avram Grant & the Portsmouth players somehow found the inner self belief & desire to incredibly win through to another F.A. Cup Final so what can we expect from them in this match.
Obviously now, the only target the Portsmouth players have is to stay fit & achieve a place in the F.A. Cup final because the league matches no longer officially mean anything & many people will expect the Portsmouth players to take it easy in their remaining league games but we really don’t see it that way.
In terms of relative quality within the two squads, Portsmouth have nothing to fear from Wigan & that massive win over Tottenham should give the Portsmouth players a huge confidence boost & they will believe they can definitely get a positive result from this match.
Wigan’s home form has been inconsistent & nothing special with very few goals while Portsmouth’s away form has been terrible & again very few goals so this match is highly unlikely to be anything other than a dour, low quality battle that can go either way.
Wigan have to win & Portsmouth have no motivation to win so ordinarily that should mean Wigan have the edge & win the game but the Portsmouth story is a truly remarkable one & we feel there are enough doubts about both sides to suggest this will be tight & close and low scoring, even no scoring draw appeals as a value bet worth taking.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: DRAW
Correct Score options: 0-0/1-1
First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Rodallega/Piquionne/Boateng
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T