Wycombe Wanderers vs Portsmouth

A place in the FA Cup round four is on the line as Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth go head-to-head at Adams Park.

Wycombe’s see-saw form in League One at the beginning of 2025 (W1, D1, L1) can’t inspire much confidence, yet fans can expect a tight contest in this third-round tie. Indeed, all three matches featured a full-time margin of under 1.5 goals, with two producing at least one goal beyond the 85th minute. Wycombe’s hope of progression from this match-up hinges on defying an underwhelming run of just one win from their last six competitive home games (D3, L2). Considering they scored more than once in only one of those six encounters, keeping things tight at the back could be of utmost importance. Interestingly, Wycombe’s last six home meetings with Portsmouth have fluctuated between triumphs (3) and defeats (3), suggesting this fixture could go either way.

Despite heading into proceedings as slight pre-match underdogs, Portsmouth can turn to their three-match unbeaten run against Wycombe for inspiration (W2, D1). The visitors got 2025 off to a flying start, demolishing fellow Championship rivals Swansea City 4-0 at home, only to go down 1-0 at Sunderland last weekend. Three defeats from their four league outings since Boxing Day don’t bode well, especially considering each came on the road. But Portsmouth’s travel sickness is well-documented. Indeed, they’ve failed to win any of their last eight competitive matches on hostile turf (D2, L6) since a 2-1 victory at QPR in mid-October, drawing a blank on five occasions. What’s worse, they’ve lost all four away games since the start of December via an aggregate score of 10-1!