Portsmouth vs Ipswich Town prediction, H2H and probable lineups — 3 February 2026
In the 26th round of the English Championship, Portsmouth will lock horns with Ipswich Town. The match is set for Tuesday, 3 February, with kick-off scheduled at 20:45 Central European Time. Here’s my take on the likely outcome and goal tally of this high-stakes clash.
Match preview
Portsmouth are locked in a fierce relegation battle in the Championship, and the current campaign has been anything but smooth for the Pompey. The team sits near the foot of the table, desperate to pull clear of the drop zone, but results have been inconsistent at best.
Pompey suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat to Bristol City at the start of the year, a blow that only deepened their crisis. A subsequent FA Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal seemed to mark rock bottom, but their league form has stabilized somewhat since then.
First, Portsmouth claimed an away win over Sheffield United and shared the spoils with Watford and Southampton. In their most recent outing, John Mousinho’s men demolished West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at home.
Striker Adrian Segecic has been one of Pompey’s key goal threats this season, but the overall lack of firepower (less than one goal per match on average) still lingers, making every single point absolutely vital in their fight for Championship survival.
Ipswich Town are back in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League. Kieran McKenna’s side have been posting consistently strong results and currently sit in the upper reaches of the table, firmly in the hunt for a return to the top flight.
In recent months, the Tractor Boys have dazzled with their attacking game, showing great ball retention and a knack for creating dangerous chances. Their balance between attack and defence has allowed them to maintain a high standing in the Championship.
At the turn of 2025 and 2026, Ipswich strung together a brilliant five-match winning run, including a notable victory over league leaders Coventry, managed by Frank Lampard—a result that deserves special mention.
However, in their last two fixtures, Ipswich have picked up just a single point, allowing Hull City to leapfrog them into third place. The gap to the leaders now stands at seven points, but Ipswich have a game in hand.
Match facts
- Portsmouth are unbeaten in four straight matches.
- Portsmouth have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last eight home games.
- Ipswich have lost only one of their previous nine matches.
- The Tractor Boys have managed just one away win in their last six outings.
- Portsmouth average 1.2 goals per home game, while Ipswich score 1.5 goals per game on their travels.
Probable lineups
- Portsmouth: Schmid, Swanson, Ogilvie, Pool, Devlin, Adams, Dozzell, Chaplin, Alli, Segecic, Bishop.
- Ipswich Town: Walton, Davis, Kipre, O'Shea, Furlong, Taylor, Matusiwa, Mehmeti, Burns, Clarke, Azon Monzon.
H2H
Ipswich have beaten Portsmouth away just once since 2012.
Prediction
Given the recent form of both teams, the visitors come into this game as slight favourites. The Tractor Boys are in dire need of a win to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive. My tip: back Ipswich to avoid defeat, with no more than 3.5 total goals scored in the match.
