Wrexham's Leaky Backline Faces a Portsmouth Side With Momentum

Saturday 28 November. Wrexham host Portsmouth in the EFL Championship. On paper it looks like a mid-table scrap. Look a little closer and there is a real story here about two sides heading in opposite directions over their recent samples.

Wrexham: Goals But No Solidity

The thing is, Wrexham are not without quality going forward. Eight goals in five Championship matches tells you there is something there in attack. The problem is the other end of the pitch.

Zero clean sheets in five matches. Zero. Both teams have scored in four of those five games. That is not a blip. That is a habit, and habits like that do not fix themselves overnight.

Wrexham lost to Blackburn, who beat them 2-0, and lost to West Brom, who beat them 2-1. They beat Preston 4-1, which is a result that can paper over cracks very quickly if you let it. Listen, a 4-1 win flatters a defence that has been opened up repeatedly. The scoreline against Preston tells you more about Preston than it does about Wrexham's defensive standards.

Two wins, one draw, two losses across five matches. That is not a platform you build on. That is a team searching for consistency and not yet finding it.

Portsmouth: Quietly Picking Up Results

Portsmouth have been doing the basics better. Three wins from five Championship matches, one draw, one loss. They beat Millwall 2-1, beat Norwich 1-0, and beat Sheffield United 3-2. Three different opponents. Three wins. That tells you something about their ability to compete across different types of games.

They drew 1-1 with Wolves and lost 0-1 to Southampton. The loss to Southampton is the one blemish, but you can live with losing 0-1 to Southampton. What you cannot live with is switching off, and Portsmouth have not looked like a side who switch off.

Their clean sheet against Norwich stands out. One clean sheet in five is not spectacular, but against a Wrexham side who have scored eight in five, keeping it tight at the back will matter.

Portsmouth do carry injury concerns into this one. They have a player out with a major injury and a second who has been on a long-term absence since December last year. Those absences are not insignificant. They reduce options and they put more pressure on the players who are available to deliver.

The Battleground

The thing is, this match will be decided by the basics. Can Wrexham's attack do what it has done in recent weeks and find the net. Can Portsmouth's defence hold firm away from home. Those are the only two questions that matter.

Wrexham have scored in every one of their last five Championship matches. Portsmouth have conceded in four of their last five. Both teams scoring looks likely on the evidence in front of us. But Portsmouth's overall form across the sample is the stronger of the two.

Home advantage counts for something at the Racecourse Ground. Wrexham will have the crowd and they will have energy. But desire and atmosphere only get you so far if the defensive basics are not there. Portsmouth have shown they can compete away from home. They have done it against Millwall, Norwich, and Sheffield United.

I trust what I have seen. Portsmouth to take something from this one.

Connor's Call

Portsmouth to win. They have the form, the defensive resilience, and the mentality to back it up. Wrexham's inability to keep a clean sheet is unacceptable at this level. End of.