Arsenal vs Portsmouth Betting Preview

When Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth visited Arsenal at Highbury in December they were blow to pieces, but Pompey have really grabbed hold of the bit recently, not tasting defeat in their last four fixtures, winning three and gaining a creditable 2-2 draw against Blackburn at the weekend. The feature of this match is that there is so much to play for. Indeed, the Fratton Park outfit are fighting for Premiership survival, while the Gunners are aiming to overhaul north London rivals Spurs, who currently occupy that all-important fourth spot in the league - a gateway to Champions League football for next season. Both sides have been scoring in the Premiership recently as if there's a danger of goals going out of fashion - Portsmouth have netted eleven in their last four matches, while Arsene Wenger's charges have scored fourteen in their last quartet of Premiership fixtures, excluding their 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday. I doubt that being beaten by Man Utd will dent Arsenal's confidence too much, as their overall performance ensured that they emerged with credit against a team who have been in truly unstoppable form of late. Portsmouth have been starting their games with fierce intent, clearly responding to the urges of manager and back-room staff, and they'll give this a real go - no doubt they will aim to unsettle the visitors from the word go. However, the danger associated with this type of approach when you're playing a team of Arsenal's quality, is that you could be punished on the counter-attack, as they have an array of players - Henry and Reyes in particular - who would not look out of place in an Olympics 100-metre sprint, and this is where I think the game will be won and lost. Henry is at his most lethal on the counter, and at 3/1 with bet365, backing the Frenchman to score first makes plenty of appeal, since he is always a threat and has netted first in eight of the Gunners' games in all competitions so far this season. Indeed, I cannot envisage Arsenal getting beaten in this match despite Pompey's excellent form, and as I alluded to earlier, Redknapp's men will have to try and play with balance - i.e. not being to gung-ho - as they will be torn apart if they neglect their defensive duties against a side who, when on song, are unrivalled in the Premiership in terms of attacking flair.