Having only picked up four points from their last five matches, John Mousinho’s men are right back in the midst of a relegation dog fight.
Now, with just ten games left to play (having played at least one less game than every other team in the division) how does Portsmouth’s run-in compare to their fellow relegation rivals?
From now until the end of the season Portsmouth play:
Derby County (H), Queen’s Park Rangers (A), Norwich City (A), Oxford United (H), Middlesbrough (A), Ipswich Town (H), Leicester City (H), Coventry City (A), Stoke City (A), Birmingham City (H)
This is, by a definition, a mixed bag of results with Pompey playing two of the division’s five most in-form sides and two of the division’s five most out of form sides. The Blues themselves are ranked 18th in the form table.
More ominously, Portsmouth still have to face Coventry City and Middlesbrough away from home who sit in first and second place respectively.
Along with this, the now twice postponed home fixture against third place Ipswich is also another hurdle for Portsmouth in their race to safety.
However, Pompey also have the privilege of playing two relegation contenders in Oxford United and Leicester City.
On top of this, the fact that both fixtures are to be played at Fratton Park undoubtedly provides at least some positivity ahead of what will be two crucial relegation six-pointers.
Finally, the fact that Portsmouth have a home-fixture against an out of form Birmingham CIty side as their final fixture of the season can also be seen as a favourable fixture with all things considered.
Therefore, despite some obviously difficult fixtures, Portsmouth’s run-in could be a lot worse on paper and has much more potential than the run-ins of many other clubs in and around them.
Middlesbrough (H), Birmingham City (A), West Brom (H), Stoke City (A), Coventry City (H), Sheffield United (A), Southampton (A), Leicester City (H)
Similarly to Portsmouth, Blackburn still have the top two to play before the end of the season, however both of these fixtures are to be played at Ewood park much to Blackburn’s favour.
They also possess the luxury of having a possibly relegation deciding final day six pointer against Leicester city at home.
However, Blackburn possess the second worst home form in the division, only picking up 18 points at Ewood Park this season which could well put the odds against them for their final-day scrap against Leicester City.
Bristol City (A), Wrexham (H), Blackburn Rovers (A), Millwall (H), Preston (A), Watford (H), Ipswich (H), Sheffield Wednesday (A)
West Brom possess the luxury of what is on paper the easiest final-day-fixture of any team in the relegation battle, facing Sheffield Wednesday away.
However, West Brom have an abysmal away record, only picking up 12 points on the road this season which could make this fixture more complex than first anticipated.
As well as this, they still have to go through with difficult fixtures against third place Ipswich and fourth place Millwall.
Southampton (A), Hull City (H), Portsmouth (A), Watford (H), Derby County (A), Wrexham (H), Sheffield Wednesday (H), Millwall (A)
Oxford have another mixed-bag of fixtures in the run-in to the final day of the season. However, what many fans in the relegation zone will be grateful for is the fact that they have Millwall away, on paper, the most difficult final-day fixture out of the teams concerned.
Watford (A), Preston (H), Sheffield Wednesday (A), Swansea City (H), Portsmouth (A), Hull City (H), Millwall (H), Blackburn Rovers (A)
Leicester have possibly the most favourable run-in of any team down in the relegation battle. It sees them play some of the most out of form sides in the division including Preston who have won only four games since the start of December.
On the other hand though, their home form has also been dire for the majority of this season which could work in the favour of the teams around the foxes.
Performances have undoubtedly been a positive for this Pompey side as of recently, despite what was a very backward looking first half-performance against Swansea City in mid-week.
Against teams like Hull City and Sheffield United, Portsmouth deserved at the very least a point and were in both cases unlucky to not get three.
On top of this, there has been no out-right thrashing since the blues fell to a 5-0 defeat to Bristol City on the first day of 2026.
Defensively Portsmouth have also been much improved, with the agonizing truth that the Blues have only lost any match since the first of January by one goal epitomising this.
Statistically, Portsmouth boast the joint 10th best defensive record in the league having only conceded 47 goals so far this season.
Even more impressively, this has been achieved with what is a devastating injury crisis affecting all areas of the pitch.
Another positive in what is a crucial run-in is the fact that Portsmouth have John Mousinho at the helm yet again this season.
Mousinho’s success in managing to keep the Blues up last season with a similarly devastating injury crisis, paired with the fact that he has now been at the club for over three years could prove crucial.
This due to the fact that he provides definite stability around the Pompey camp that could be seen to be lacking at other clubs.
In his time spent on the South coast he has built a connection with the players and fans which is lacking among the teams around Pompey who have all hired at least one new manager since the start of the season.
This sense of stability and security surrounding Mousinho could prove invaluable in the relegation scrap against some teams who are in financial free-fall like Leicester and Blackburn.
An improvement in away form can also be seen as a step in the right direction for Portsmouth, who have picked up 11 out of a possible 21 points on the road since that 5-0 defeat at the hands of Bristol City.
This in contrast to their abysmal away record both last season and for the majority of this one, in which the blues only recorded two away wins between the ninth of August and the 17th of January.
Despite these improvements, at the end of the day all that truly matters is the claiming of points, especially for a team like Portsmouth who are threatened by relegation.
The most clear and obvious threat to Portsmouth’s season is their inability to find the back of the net which has been evident throughout.
John Mousinho’s blues have the joint second worst shot conversion rate at 8% with only Sheffield Wednesday producing worse numbers at 7.1%.
Portsmouth have also only scored 36 goals all season with only Sheffield Wednesday hitting the back of the net less.
The sudden turn for the worst in terms of home form is also another plausible concern for Portsmouth, who were so reliant on Fortress Fratton last season.
In the 2024/25 campaign, Portsmouth won 74.07% of their points at Fratton park, this season however the Blues’ points record at home has been much less positive.
Portsmouth have now lost three consecutive home games in the league. This is a worrying state of affairs especially due to the fact that key games to come will be played at PO4, including relegation six-pointers against Oxford United and Leicester City.
Importantly, as has been exemplified by the very early relegation of free-falling Sheffield Wednesday – stability and mentality are always of vital importance in relegation battles.
Portsmouth are one of the only teams in this battle who aren’t facing issues with their ownership, with Leicester and Blackburn both dealing with problems behind the scenes.
This is key in the mentality of players and fans alike and could be an imperative factor in keeping a much more stable team like Portsmouth up come the end of the season.
Having points deductions, boycotts of games and general toxicity among fan-bases is by no means healthy and has of course been detrimental to the seasons of teams affected by them.
It’s often these negatives that translate to the pitch and can ultimately be the driving factor in the downfall of teams that are on paper much too strong to go down such as Leicester City.
Therefore, Portsmouth do have what it takes to stay in this division, but only if their players step up in front of goal and stop the heavy reliance on a bare-bones defence.
Chances have to be taken and the same mentality achieved last season that saw Portsmouth comfortably escape the relegation fight must be replicated.
Portsmouth now face Derby County at Fratton Park on Monday night in what will be seen as a must-win for the South coast outfit.
This will be the first of Portsmouth’s final ten games in the run-in to the end of the season and will hopefully mark some form of progression.
In terms of Portsmouth’s run-in compared to the teams around them, they are not in the worst of positions. They have the opportunity to compete in two six-pointers, both of which will be played at home, whilst they also have a somewhat favourable final-day-fixture.
Pompey have undeniably shown the level of performances necessary to not only survive relegation but also flourish in this division.
What has continuously let them down though is the inability to score goals which is often the case with teams in this position.
