Norwich vs Portsmouth Prediction: Goals at both ends expected

Norwich City's inconsistency has held them back from being strong play-off contenders in the Championship this season, as they find themselves 10 points adrift of the top six with four games to play. The Canaries are in action on Friday (15:00, Sky Sports+) as they welcome Portsmouth to Carrow Road.

Pompey salvaged an important draw at home to Derby County on Saturday as the two fight to maintain their second tier status. Their away form has been a concern, though, and they will look to improve their fortunes in East Anglia. Read on for my Norwich vs Portsmouth predictions, supported by the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Norwich are without the services of Gabriel Forsyth and Benjamin Chrisene due to injury.

Boss Johannes Hoff Thorup named a back five to face promotion-chasing Burnley last Friday but he could revert to a back four against Portsmouth. Jack Stacey will be itching to return at right-back and the consolation goal he grabbed against the Clarets should help his case.

Kenny McLean, a midfielder by trade, has been utilised as a left-back in recent weeks but he could be moved back into the engine room if Thorup names a four-man defence on Friday.

Josh Sargent and Marcelino Nunez were limited to cameos at Turf Moor and both could be in line for a recall against Pompey.

Sargent (14) and Borja Sainz (17) have been two of the most prolific scorers in the division this term, with the leader currently leading the way in the race for the Golden Boot. Together, they have scored 49% of Norwich's league goals in 2024/25.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has revealed that Callum Lang has returned to training after a nine-game absence with a hamstring problem. However, the head coach has stated that he does not think the attacker will be able to play again for the rest of the season.

Defender Conor Shaughnessy is also back in training but Friday looks like it may come too soon for him to step back out onto the pitch, so Rob Atkinson, who scored three goals on Saturday (one in the wrong net), looks set to continue in the back line alongside Regan Poole.

Kusini Yungi returned to the bench against Derby after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and he will be hoping to gain more minutes this weekend. Tommy Waddingham was missing last weekend and is considered a doubt to feature against Norwich.

Colby Bishop is expected to lead the line for the visitors once again, while the width should be provided by Matt Ritchie and Josh Murphy.

Norwich vs Portsmouth Odds

Norwich are 8/11 to win this match but they have only managed to prevail in two of their last five league games at Carrow Road.

Two of their past four outings here have ended in a stalemate, which was also the outcome in Portsmouth's last fixture coming into this clash. The draw is available at 13/5, which has an implied probability of 27.8%.

Pompey have lost four consecutive games on the road in the second tier and they are 100/30 to come away with the three points on Friday.

Over 2.5 goals has been a successful bet in each of the visitors' previous three away contests in the Championship, and it is marketed at 4/5 on this occasion.

Both teams to score @ 8/11

Given Portsmouth's struggles on the road and Norwich's inconsistency, I think a result is best to avoid in this contest. Both teams to score looks far more appealing because it has been a frequent trend for both these teams this campaign.

Pompey are on a run of three consecutive away games in which both teams have scored, while 57% (12/21) of their overall clashes on the road have featured goals at both ends.

For Norwich, they are ranked first for the Championship BTTS table this season with 64% (27/42) of their fixtures seeing both teams get on the scoresheet. This includes 76% (16/21) of their contests at Carrow Road, including three of their last five.

Josh Sargent anytime goalscorer @ 7/5

It's been another season where Norwich's star forward Sargent has had to miss a large chunk of it due to injury. However, just like last season, he has still managed to hit double figures for goals in the Championship with 14 his current total with four games left.

The American international is arguably the most well-rounded forward in the division and the Canaries are going to struggle to keep hold of him in the summer because he now has 30 goals across the last two campaigns in the league.

Sargent will be itching for a start on Friday as he will be up against a depleted defence, who have the second-worst record in the league (66 goals conceded). The 25-year-old has scored two in his last four appearances and 79% (11/14) of his goals have come at home this term. I think he's a smart choice for backing a goalscorer on Friday.

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