Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Rochdale
Match Time & Date:
20/09/2020
10:00 AM
Prediction: 0-2
Portsmouth
After dropping two points in a goalless draw with Shrewsbury Town, Portsmouth will be looking to give fans something to cheer about when they take on Rochdale at Spotland Stadium. The Pompey have big ambitions for the 2020/21 League One campaign, but it seems as if they are once again making a slow start to the season. Rochdale, on the other hand, aim to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to Swindon Town.
The Dale experienced all sorts of problems at the back in the season opener, meaning that they face an uphill task in Sunday’s showdown against the promotion-chasing side. Anyhow, away win should be considered as Portsmouth failed to turn their dominance into goals in the goalless draw with the Shrews. In their last encounter in the League One Portsmouth rolled over Rochdale 3-0, and you should bear in mind that the Pompey are eyeing their sixth consecutive win over the Pompey in all competitions.
Highlighted Player (Ryan McLaughlin):
Ryan McLaughlin is a Northern Ireland international who plays for Rochdale in the League One as a right-back. McLaughlin started his youth career at Glenavon back in 2009 and two years later he was spotted by Liverpool scouts, who persuaded him to join the Reds youth academy.
However, instead of playing for Liverpool at senior level, the Northern Ireland defender spent two seasons on loan at Barnsley and Aberdeen before moving to Oldham Athletic. After scoring three goals in 52 league appearances for the club, Ryan McLaughlin joined Rochdale in 2019 for an undisclosed fee.
McLaughlin made his League One debut with the Dale on January 26, 2019 in a 2-1 loss at Barnsley. Speaking of his international career, the pacey right-back made his Northern Ireland debut on May 31, 2014 in a friendly against Uruguay. It has to be noted that the Rochdale defender can be used as both left-back and right midfielder as well.
Highlighted Team (Portsmouth):
During Milan Mandaric’s era at the club, Portsmouth played an important role in the Premier League, with the team finishing their debut season (2003/2004) in the 13th position in the standings. The club impressed in the 2008/2009 season, with Nwankwo Kanu’s goal helping them beat Cardiff City in the FA Cup final.
As a result, Portsmouth represented England in the Europa League, with the team progressing in the group stages of the competition thanks to a win over Vitoria Gimaraes in the final qualifying round. The current club was formed in 2013, but the original amateur club was founded back in 1883. Nowadays Portsmouth host their rivals at Fratton Park, with the venue holding up to 20,620 spectators.
The likes of Sol Campbell, David James, Glen Johnson and aforementioned Nigeria international Nwankwo Kanu are considered one of the club’s most notable players. Portsmouth wear blue shirts, white shorts and red socks when hosting their rivals at Fratton Park, while wearing white and blue colours when playing on the road.
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