Portsmouth’s 2-0 Chelsea jolt puts Southampton on alert for South Coast Derby | OneFootball

Portsmouth’s 2-0 win over Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea in the international break adds edge to next Sunday’s South Coast Derby at St Mary’s, where Southampton defend a 100% home league record. Portsmouth News reported the behind closed doors result at Cobham.

Whether Tonda Eckert will be in the dugout remains unclear, with no word yet from the FA on any punishment for the 33-year-old German over Spygate.

Portsmouth have struggled at times in the Championship, with just two wins from seven leaving them 19th, although they are unbeaten in their last three league games. The Chelsea scalp should lift belief, with the likes of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck potentially featuring for Chelsea, with both not called up by England.

Southampton, meanwhile, have not slipped at home this season in league play. Their last Championship defeat at St Mary’s came in January, so it will take a major effort from Pompey to change that on Sunday.

History also favours the hosts. Southampton have not lost a league meeting to Portsmouth since 2005, when Alain Perrin oversaw a 4-1 home win for Pompey at Fratton Park in the Premier League, Yakubu on the scoresheet. They have not been beaten at home by Pompey since 1988, that 2-0 reverse coming at the Dell, so St Mary’s has yet to witness a Portsmouth upset.

Even so, records can fall, and if Mousinho’s side bring the same fearlessness that underpinned their 2-0 win over Chelsea, another surprise could be in play next Sunday lunchtime.

Source: Sainstmarching.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”