Richard Walker / 19 February 2010 Free Bet View Market

Best Bets: Lay Portsmouth @ [2.46]; Back Under 1.5 goals @ [3.05]; Back Stoke clean sheet @ [3.45].

The only hardship with previewing anything to do with Portsmouth right now is that you're left wondering what's going to happen in the time between the ink drying on the page - so to speak - and their next match kicking off.

The financial situation at Fratton Park is so farcical that it must have gone beyond truly affecting the players game by game, else they'd have thrown in the towel...and, let's be fair to them, all recent evidence points to them doing anything but that.

Indeed, they'll need to find that continued unlikely resolve which earned them a morale-boosting local derby win at Southampton in the FA Cup if they're to have any chance against Stoke City, one of the most resilient sides in the Premier League.

Truth be told, I just can't see them breaking down Tony Pulis's side often enough to warrant support. Lay Portsmouth to a [2.46] liability is my chief play for this half-five ESPN potential bore. It might, of course, be the season's most exciting match...no, didn't think you'd buy that one.

I came unstuck suggesting that Stoke should be backed at Sunderland recently, when the game finished goalless. I was aware of their own paltry one win on their travels, so am proceeding with a little more caution this time.

However make backing Under 1.5 goals a primary alternative here, something I also suggested for that Stadium of Light clash. It's a [3.05] chance to happen at Fratton Park. This is, after all, a meeting of two of the bottom three teams in the division for goals scored.

Pompey have just three home wins to their name (Wigan, Burnley, Liverpool) during a campaign which has seen them in the news more often for off-field matters than any achievements on the pitch. The light relief of last weekend's cup result has quickly been wiped away by a proposal from the club to try and sell its chief assets (best players) in a bid to prove it can pay its debts.

No wonder Stoke are priced at [3.3] for victory. If The Draw had been somewhat longer than the [3.4] it is, I'd have been more tempted to suggest support for it. Still, I think bases are well covered by laying the hosts.

You can get the wrong idea when backing a clean sheet is tipped up. It doesn't have to mean you're confident of that side winning the match, simply that their opponents might not have enough to open them up. The [3.45] to support a City shut-out looks a good price in my eyes, especially when you consider Pompey have registered just 20 goals in 25 Premier League matches.

Along with loanee Jamie O'Hara, Kevin-Prince Boateng has provided much of what spark there's been on the south coast. However the latter is almost certain to miss out through injury, adding to a list that also includes striker Tommy Smith, midfielder Michael Brown and defender Tal Ben Haim - although one or two of those names could make their return this weekend.

The correct score market favourite is 1-1, priced at [7.2], a fact which goes some way to explaining why Under 2.5 goals is as short as [1.67]. My feelings mean I'll be migrating towards the binary scorelines for this one; 0-0 looks juicy at [9.6] with covers of 1-0 Stoke [10.0] and perhaps even 1-0 to Pompey at [8.0] seeming to offer a good split-stake opportunity.

Goalscorers with a record worth noting are hard to come by on either side. Aruna Dindane's five league strikes puts him well clear of anyone else. Frederique Piquionne has three, as does Boateng and Stoke's Matthew Etherington (who's unlikely to feature due to injury).

Both the to score and first goalscorer markets look like a layer's paradise to me. Backers should be looking for prices at least as good as [3.5] to score or over [7.0] first scorer before even thinking of getting involved.

So there we are. Set up for a low-scoring bore. Come on then Pompey, prove me wrong!