PREVIEW: Portsmouth (H)

Derby County will be bidding to head into Christmas with back-to-back Sky Bet Championship victories under their belt when they host Portsmouth at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

The Rams climbed back into the top half of the table on Monday evening, with Patrick Agyemang’s brace and Liam Thompson’s maiden Championship strike steering John Eustace’s side to a convincing 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

It was Derby’s eighth league win of the campaign, taking them to 30 points after 21 matches. A yardstick of the Rams’ progress this term, those two feats took 36 games to achieve last term.

Portsmouth will also be in buoyant mood following their 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers last time out, a win which lifted John Mousinho’s men out of the relegation zone.

Ticket Information:

Tickets for the Rams' final home game of 2025 are still available and can be purchased online, over the phone, or in person from the Ticket Office at Pride Park.

Supporters are urged to secure their seats in advance to avoid the matchday price increase.

Find out more ticket details for Saturday’s match at tickets.dcfc.co.uk.

Pre-Match Thoughts:

Ahead of the visit of Portsmouth, Head Coach John Eustace provided his pre-match assessment to RamsTV.

Fresh from his double at Hillsborough on Monday night, Patrick Agyemang also sat down with RamsTV to look ahead to Saturday’s clash.

The Opposition:

Portsmouth’s League One title win in 2023/24 - pipping the Rams to the silverware - brought a return to the Championship for the first time since 2012.

Having fought so hard to get back to this tier, John Mousinho’s side made sure they didn’t make an immediate return to League One last term. They danced among the relegation flames during the first half of the campaign but eventually finished 16th on 54 points.

This season has been tough at times, with Pompey arriving at Pride Park sitting one place - and one point - above the bottom three.

Last weekend’s win against Blackburn Rovers, only their second in the last 11 league games, was welcome and fully deserved. Portsmouth found themselves a goal behind at half-time at Fratton Park but showed the resilience Mousinho has instilled in his team to storm back and claim all three points.

Ibane Bowat's first goal for the club proved to be the winner as the defender headed home from Conor Chaplin's corner with just over ten minutes remaining. Rovers had taken the lead through a solo effort from Japan international Yuki Ohashi in the first half, but Pompey roused themselves in the second half, pressing hard for an equaliser which finally came from Callum Lang, before Bowat secured victory.

Club Links:

The two clubs have shared several familiar faces over the years, including current Ram Matt Clarke.

The 29-year-old initially arrived at Portsmouth on loan from Ipswich Town during the 2015/16 season, before making his move permanent that summer. He went on to feature 162 times for the South Coast club, later signing for Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion in June 2019.

Then came the first of two season-long loans with Derby for the centre back, with his first temporary switch culminating in him winning the Rams’ 2019/20 Player of the Year award. After a loan spell and West Bromwich Albion and spending two-and-a-half seasons with Middlesbrough, Clarke joined the Rams on a full-time basis in January 2025.

Former fan favourite Mart Poom also sported the colours of both sides in his illustrious career. Signing at Fratton Park back in 1994, the giant Estonian goalkeeper only made four appearances in three seasons before he made Derby his new home.

It was to prove one of the best decisions of Poom’s career, as he became the first Estonian to play in the Premier League across a seven-season stay in the East Midlands. Derby’s Player of the Year in the 1999/00 season later went on to enjoy stints with Sunderland, Arsenal and Watford - although he never played more often than the 146 occasions he donned the gloves for the Rams.

Other notable representatives of both clubs include Deon Burton, Marcus Harness, Michael Jacobs, David Nugent, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Darren Moore, Darryl Powell and George Thorne.

Match Officials:

There will be a first for Derby on Saturday, with Farai Hallam set to take charge of his maiden Rams fixture.

After making his Championship officiating debut last season, Hallam - once on the books of Stevenage FC - has overseen a further nine games at this level in 2025/26, issuing 35 yellow cards.

Andrew Fox and Carl Fitch-Jackson will be the Assistant Referees, while Jacob Miles has been named as the Fourth Official.

RamsTV Audio & Video Coverage:

Live audio commentary for all of Derby County’s first team matches in the 2025/26 season - both league and cup fixtures - is available to RamsTV Audio subscribers based both in the UK and internationally.

Information about RamsTV's Video Live Streaming and other services for this season can be found here.

Highlights & Match Replay:

Full match reaction will be available on dcfc.co.uk and the Derby County App shortly after full time, with highlights and a full match replay available from midnight.