Portsmouth now under ‘huge’ relegation pressure after what’s happened
Portsmouth are just four points clear of the Championship relegation zone with eight games left to play after the international break.
John Mousinho’s men had seemingly turned a major corner towards safety when they defeated league leaders Leeds 1-0 on Sunday 9 March.
But consecutive defeats at the hands of 24th-place Plymouth and mid-table outfit Preston swiftly followed for a Pompey side who could now be in for a fierce battle against an unwanted return to League One.
After the international break, Mousinho’s men take on Blackburn, who still have a chance of finishing in the play-offs despite their woeful form under new boss Valerien Ismael.
EFL podcaster George Elek fears Portsmouth could be relegated
The lower regions of the Championship table are very tight as just six points separate 22nd-place Derby from Swansea who sit 16th, and Pompey find themselves right in that mix in 17th.
| Championship table (Bottom nine) | Games played | Goal difference | Points |
| 16 Swansea | 38 | -11 | 44 |
| 17 Portsmouth | 38 | -15 | 42 |
| 18 Oxford | 38 | -16 | 42 |
| 19 Hull | 38 | -8 | 41 |
| 20 Stoke | 38 | -14 | 39 |
| 21 Cardiff | 38 | -20 | 39 |
| 22 Derby | 38 | -11 | 38 |
| 23 Luton | 38 | -26 | 35 |
| 24 Plymouth | 38 | -37 | 33 |
Speaking on the latest episode of the Not The Top 20 Podcast [24 March] George Elek said: “Derby’s three wins on the bounce, Luton winning a couple of games has meant that this has got incredibly tight.”
“There’s a clutch of teams, Oxford and Portsmouth being probably the main two who looked home and hosed at certain points in the season.
“Pompey so recently, after that 1-0 win against Leeds are now very much within it, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all (if they were relegated).
“Portsmouth are obviously the outsiders of the genuine runners and riders in this but they are one where their away form all season has been atrocious and there’s no getting away from that.
“There’s going to be a huge pressure on their home form.
“I think Pompey are in it (the relegation battle).”
Portsmouth’s away form is a major concern
As outlined by Elek, one of the reasons why Portsmouth are in danger of facing an unwanted return to League One after winning the third-tier title last term is that they have struggled on their travels.
Only bottom side Plymouth and fellow relegation candidates Oxford have won fewer away games than Pompey this term, as Mousinho and co have yielded two wins on the road while both Argyle and Gary Rowett’s side have each managed just one away win.
But Portsmouth’s away form seems unlikely to take a turn for the better as three of their four remaining games on the road see them face play-off contenders Coventry, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday.
Mousinho and Co do boast an impressive home record but their recent defeat at Fratton Park to a Plymouth side who are set for relegation indicates that Pompey cannot rely on home form alone as they look to retain their Championship status.