Championship strugglers Portsmouth take on League One high-flyers Wycombe in the FA Cup third round on Friday, and we’ve got the latest team news and confirmed lineups, as well as a prediction alongside our preview.
Wycombe vs Portsmouth FA Cup Preview
League One high-flyers Wycombe Wanderers welcome Championship relegation battlers Portsmouth to Adams Park in the FA Cup third round on Friday, with both sides looking to bounce back after suffering defeats last time out.
The Chairboys fell to a 1-0 defeat to fellow promotion-chasers Huddersfield on Tuesday, following on from a 1-1 draw with Blackpool on Saturday, leaving them in second place in the third tier table, two points adrift of leaders Birmingham.
To reach this stage of the competition, Matt Bloomfield’s side overcame National League leaders York City 3-2 in the first round, before defeating another non-league side in Wealdstone via a 2-0 scoreline in the second round.
Portsmouth, meanwhile, enter the competition at the third round stage, already an improvement on last year’s first round exit to Chesterfield, and they come into this one off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
Pompey currently occupy 21st place in the second tier table, above the relegation zone on goal difference, but despite this, they have recorded impressive 3-0, 4-1 and 4-0 wins over Bristol City, Coventry and Swansea in recent weeks.
Friday’s clash will be the first time that Portsmouth and Wycombe have met since last season, when John Mousinho’s side won the League One title, with the south coast club prevailing 3-1 and 2-1 in both league meetings.
Wycombe Team News
The hosts have just one confirmed absentee for Pompey’s visit, with Jasper Pattenden missing out with a hamstring injury.
Sam Vokes, Ryan Tafazolli and Kieran Sadlier are also unavailable for Wycombe but could return in the coming weeks.
Portsmouth Team News
Defenders Conor Shaughnessy, Regan Poole, Jacob Farrell and Ibane Bowat are all ruled out through injury, while Marlon Pack is suspended after picking up a red card in the defeat to Sunderland at the weekend.
Australian forward Kusini Yengi is also ruled out due to a knee injury, and Brighton loanee Mark O’Mahony misses the trip to Wycombe.
Wycombe vs Portsmouth Confirmed Lineups
Wycombe Confirmed Lineup:
George; Bradley, Leahy, Skura, Harvie; Hania, Butcher, Bakinson; Lubala, McCleary, Kodua
Portsmouth Confirmed Lineup:
Archer; Williams, Atkinson, Devlin, McIntyre; Potts, Kamara, Moxon; Lane, Ritchie, Saydee
Wycombe vs Portsmouth FA Cup Third Round Prediction
Despite Portsmouth being the higher-ranked team in terms of the English football pyramid, the UK’s best football betting sites have Wycombe as narrow favourites to prevail in regular time.
This is likely due to Pompey’s woeful away record, as they are now without a win in eight successive matches on the road.
Due to this, we at SportsCasting are backing a narrow 1-0 triumph for the Chairboys, which would see them book their place in the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since the 2020/21 season.
Prediction: Wycombe 1-0 Portsmouth
