Don Goodman makes Portsmouth league finish prediction after fixture news
Don Goodman is confident that Portsmouth will finish above the relegation zone in the Championship next season, despite a tough set of fixtures to begin the season.
Pompey begin their first campaign back in the second tier after more than a decade away with a daunting match against Leeds United at Elland Road on 10 August.
John Mousinho’s men then face three of the team that dropped down from the Premier League – Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United – across their next six games.
However, Goodman expects Portsmouth to pick up a steady flow of points as he backed the club to finish above both Derby County and Oxford United, who have also come up from League One.
“Of the three promoted teams from League One, I think Portsmouth will finish the highest if I’m honest with you,” he told Pompey News.
“I know they’ve got that difficult start to the season on paper, but I’m sure they will stay rational regardless of results and kick on.
“It’s about putting things in perspective and appreciating it’s been a long time since they were in the Championship.
“They need to embrace it and enjoy the ride. I don’t think they’ll have any problems at all surviving in the Championship.”
Avoiding relegation top priority for Portsmouth
Back-to-back promotions for Ipswich Town into the Premier League has perhaps skewed what supporters believe is possible.
Realistically, Pompey need to focus on finishing 21st or higher in the 2024-25 campaign before pushing on the following campaign.
Of course, with this being the Championship, the margins between being in a relegation battle or fighting in the top half are marginal.
Getting off to a fast start is always key, but the difficulty of the fixtures across the first six weeks or so will make that very difficult.
With a few more signings, plus the momentum from last season, hopefully Portsmouth can surprise a few people once it all kicks off once again.
In other Portsmouth news, David Norris has reacted to some confirmed contract news from Fratton Park.
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