Portsmouth v Charlton Athletic: survival bid meets stability push | OneFootball

Portsmouth face Charlton Athletic in the Championship at Fratton Park on Monday, 29 December 2025, with the hosts chasing points to climb out of the relegation places and the visitors aiming to consolidate mid-table.

Charlton Athletic have enjoyed recent joy in this fixture, winning 3-1 at Fratton Park in January 2023 and beating Portsmouth 2-0 in a 2024 friendly. The stakes now are sharper for the home side given their position in the bottom four.

Portsmouth followed a home win over Blackburn with draws against Derby and Queens Park Rangers, steadying after successive defeats. Charlton Athletic's last five read loss, loss, draw, win, loss, including a 1-0 defeat at Norwich on Boxing Day, so momentum has been mixed.

John Mousinho's options are thinned by injuries to Joshua Murphy, Connor Ogilvie, Conor Shaughnessy, Josh Knight, Florian Bianchini, Jacob Farrell and Thomas Waddingham. Murphy has six league assists this season. Charlton Athletic are without forwards Matt Godden and Onel Hernandez, plus defender Josh Edwards.

Season trends suggest a tight contest. Portsmouth average 0.9 goals per game and deliver plenty of balls from open play, attempting 362 crosses with 20.99% accuracy. Charlton Athletic play with less of the ball at 42% possession, have seven clean sheets and are strong in the air with 539 aerial duels won, which could make set pieces and wide deliveries a key battleground.

A home win would take Portsmouth to 25 points and could move them out of the relegation places. Victory for Charlton Athletic would lift them to 30 points and could open a healthier buffer to the bottom four.