Bristol City vs Portsmouth Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Bristol City vs Portsmouth Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Match Details: January 1, 2026 | Ashton Gate | EFL Championship | 15:00 GMT

Bristol City and Portsmouth see the New Year in with one of the most Southern clashes that the Championship is able to offer us this season in a match likely to alter the immediate outlook of the play-off and relegation battles as we enter the second half of the season. While the Championship is notoriously difficult to predict, this match looks as though it should be a win for the home side.

Key Betting Tips: Bristol City to Win @ 1.70 odds on Parimatch or 1.68 odds on Kwiff both represent good value based on the tip provided by Football Park's advanced algorithm.

The hosts look as though they have the stronger side and are fighting for the chance to return to the play-off places, and when considering injuries and availability, they should have what it takes to beat Portsmouth to kick off their year.

Bristol City vs Portsmouth Predicted Lineups

Bristol City Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Max O'Leary; Rob Atkinson, Rob Dickie, Zak Vyner; Neto Borges, Adam Randell, Jason Knight, Ross McCrorie; Anis Mehmeti, Scott Twine; Emil Riis Jacobsen

Gerhard Struber has plenty of absentees to keep in mind for this game, with Harry Cornick serving a suspension and goalkeeper Radek Vitek suffering from an injury that will keep him out until February. There are five players set to make their returns to action in January, those being Max Bird, Mark Sykes, Luke McNally, Joe Williams and Fally Mayulu, but none are anticipated to be ready for the first day the year.

Portsmouth Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Nicolas Schmid; Zak Swanson, Regan Poole, Hayden Matthews, Terry Devlin; Andre Dozzell, Marlon Pack; Yang Min-Hyeok, Conor Chaplin, Adrian Segecic; Colby Bishop

Portsmouth have unfortunately managed to one-up their opponents' injury woes, with a total of eight players set to miss the game through injury. Shorter-term injuries are keeping Callum Lang, Jacob Farrell, Josh Knight, Thomas Waddingham and Josh Murphy out of the team for now, whereas Connor Ogilvie, Florian Bianchini and Mark Kosznovszky aren't expected to be back until February.

Bristol City vs Portsmouth Current League Standings

Despite fairly similar showing in recent form for both sides, they occupy completely contrasting spots in the table, with Bristol City well in the play-off battle in eighth, and Portsmouth trying to avoid slipping into the relegation spots in 21st. Bar Sheffield Wednesday, Pompey have the worst goalscoring record in the Championship this season, and now they are without Josh Murphy, who is arguably their best attacking outlet, there's a good chance they'll really struggle to find the net in the next few games.

Arguably unlucky not to get more from their recent clash with Millwall, the Robins slipped from fifth to eight at the Den, and will thus be looking for a positive result to put them in good stead in the race for the top-six going forward. Dropping points here could prove costly come the end of the season for either side...

Bristol City vs Portsmouth Head-to-Head Timeline

The Robins have certainly had the better of Pompey in their recent encounters, which have become a much more common occurance in the last couple of seasons now they both seem to be comfortably in the same division. Bristol City will be looking to make it three wins in a row against the South coast side, which would mean they would have won four of their last five games against this opposition. Portsmouth, however, have a chance to even the scales out a little more if they can earn an important win against a side that have become difficult for them to pick up points against lately.

Recent Head-to-Head Results:

• November 29, 2025: Portsmouth 0-1 Bristol City (Championship)
• December 29, 2024: Bristol City 3-0 Portsmouth (Championship)
• December 7, 2024: Portsmouth 3-0 Bristol City (Championship)
• January 10, 2021: Bristol City 2-1 Portsmouth (FA Cup)
• March 17, 2012: Portsmouth 0-0 Bristol City (Championship)

Bristol City and Portsmouth Recent Matches Analysis

Bristol City Last 5 Matches:

• Bristol City 1-2 Millwall (A) - Championship
• Bristol City 2-1 West Brom (A) - Championship
• Bristol City 2-0 Middlesbrough (H) - Championship
• Bristol City 0-1 Coventry (A) - Championship
• Bristol City 2-2 Leicester (H) - Championship

I don't think fans of Bristol City were expecting to have taken seven points from this run of fixtures, so considering that this form isn't really that bad. A narrow loss to Coventry is much better than most sides have done this season, which they followed up with a statement win over Middlesbrough. Admittedly, they probably didn't deserve to have taken three points at the Hawthorns (Mehmeti could have been sent off and one of their goals was controversial), but they also deserved more from their game against Millwall, so it's pretty much evened out. With seven scored and six conceded, they'll be glad that their record has been positive in this time, and they've got a chance to make it even better against Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Last 5 Matches:

• Portsmouth 2-1 Charlton Athletic (H) - Championship
• Portsmouth 1-1 QPR (H) - Championship
• Portsmouth 1-1 Derby (A) - Championship
• Portsmouth 2-1 Blackburn (H) - Championship
• Portsmouth 0-1 Swansea (A) - Championship

Four games unbeaten is excellent form for Pompey to be in given their league position and what is at stake if they let their form slip. Perhaps it isn't the toughest run of fixtures you've ever seen, but you can only beat what's in front of you, and that what Portsmouth have done (a couple of times). Despite six goals scored in five games being a positive sign, they've also conceded in each of those five, demonstrating something of a defensive weakness that the likes of Anis Mehmeti and Scott Twine will be looking to exploit. If they can go five unbeaten, regardless of if it's a win or draw at Ashton Gate, then they will deservedly be in high spirits ahead of their game against Ipswich, which will certainly be a tough test.

Bristol City vs Portsmouth Predictions

Our advanced algorithm analyses over 200 data points to generate these predictions with a 53.30% confidence in Bristol City to Win. The model factors in current form, head-to-head records, player availability, and tactical matchups.

Best Bristol City vs Portsmouth Betting Tips

Football Park’s Best Bet: Bristol City to Win @ 1.70 odds on Parimatch - They look like the stronger side on paper and have picked up some results against tricky opponents lately. Struber has got City playing good football, so they should have what it takes to beat a Portsmouth side that will be damaged by injuries.

Key Players to Watch: Bristol City vs Portsmouth

Anis Mehmeti (Bristol City): The Albanian winger has stood out in the Championship this season as one of the most exciting players on the attack, and has understandably been Bristol City's most important outlets going forward as a result. With seven goals and six assists to his name so far this season, an excellent tally for his position, expect Mehmeti to constantly be looking for ways to break down and punish the Portsmouth backline. What's worth noting as well is that he can be less disciplined from time to time, with six yellow cards accumulated already this season, so there's a chance he may be targeted to try and get him booked.

Terry Devlin (Portsmouth): The young Northern Irish full back may struggle to beat Conor Bradley to a place in the National team, but he has put in some admirable performances on the South coast of England this season, becoming one of Pompey's most important players in recent weeks. His last four outings have been especially impressive, including a vital goal in a draw against QPR, which became his third goal this season in the league from full-back. He also has an assist to add to the G/A tally, but his defensive contributions have been equally as vital for Portsmouth to gather as much composure at the back as they can get.

Bristol City vs Portsmouth Match Facts

Broadcast Details: Sky Sports+

Referee: James Bell

Stadium Information: Located in Bristol, Ashton Gate has a capacity of 26,462 and hosted five fixtures in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. It has been in use since 1887.

Bristol City vs Portsmouth: Final Prediction

Bristol City 3-0 Portsmouth