Kick-off: 1945, 17/09/2020
Stadium: Amex Stadium
TV: Sky Sports
Both of these south-coast teams have much more important matters to deal with than the EFL Cup this season and could be forgiven for not putting too much emphasis on Thursday night’s game.
Brighton once again start the campaign aiming for Premier League survival while Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett is under pressure to earn automatic promotion out of League One.
Both teams also look stronger in defence than attack so under 2.5 goals at 4/5 is our opening Brighton vs Portsmouth prediction.
A Look At Brighton & Hove Albion’s Betting Odds
Brighton endured a disappointing start to their season as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Chelsea on Monday night, giving us three winning betting tips!
A second-half equaliser from Leandro Trossard gave the Seagulls hope after they went behind to a Jorginho penalty, but goals from Reece James and Kurt Zouma meant they finished empty-handed.
Injuries to Adam Lallana and Ben White added to Brighton’s frustration and manager Graham Potter said: “The margins we need to turn, that’s the challenge.
“I thought we played well overall, matched Chelsea quite well, especially in the first half.
“We more than deserved the equaliser I think but then it was a bit of game management where we got punished for the second.
“It took the wind out of us a little bit. It’s disappointing to concede three goals overall and that’s the thing we’re most disappointed with.”
Brighton are generally solid at the back but failed to score a first-half goal in 13 of their 19 home league games last season.
Home cup defeats by Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup and FA Cup respectively show where their priorities lie, so a goalless first half appeals at 33/20 in the Brighton vs Portsmouth odds.
Last Brighton line-up: Ryan, Lamptey, White, Webster, Dunk, Bissouma, Lallana, Alzate, March, Maupya, Trossard.
A Look At Portsmouth’s Betting Odds
Portsmouth fans are growing increasingly frustrated after two successive play-off defeats have seen them miss out on a return to the Championship.
A quiet transfer window so far means there is no sign of a significant improvement this season and Jackett is a man under pressure heading into the new campaign.
Saturday’s goalless draw at home to Shrewsbury did little to lift the mood, while Pompey needed to come back from 2-0 down to draw with League Two side Stevenage in the first round before going through on penalties.
Victories against Championship sides Birmingham and QPR in this competition last season showed Pompey can be competitive against stronger opposition on their day, but they were then beaten 4-0 by fierce local rivals Southampton.
Brighton won’t be as fired up as Saints were for that fixture so we’ll go for the hosts to nick a 1-0 win at 6/1 as our final Brighton vs Portsmouth prediction.
Last Portsmouth line-up: MacGillivray, Johnson, Brown, Whatmough, Raggett, Naylor, Curtis, Morris, Harness, Evans, Marquis.
Additional stats
Last result:
BRIGHTON 1-3 Chelsea – Leandro Trossard
PORTSMOUTH 0-0 Shrewsbury
Head-to-head: Brighton 2-0 Portsmouth, Portsmouth 0-1 Brighton, Brighton 3-1 Portsmouth
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