Portsmouth vs Arsenal predictions and betting tips – Gunners start FA Cup campaign

Arsenal will be delighted with where they find themselves at the beginning of 2026, but this hungry squad always wants more.

The Gunners have had plenty of success in the FA Cup and they will be targeting glory in it again this term.

Can Portsmouth lay down a market by halting Arsenal, or will the Premier League leaders emerge unscathed from their trip to Fratton Park?

• Go for Arsenal to win to nil – 5/6 with Tote
• Back Arsenal to score two or three goals – 12/13 with 247Bet
• Select Gabriel Jesus to score any time – 10/11 with bet365

Portsmouth vs Arsenal odds

Find the latest Portsmouth vs Arsenal betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Portsmouth vs Arsenal predictions

Ask a group of Arsenal fans which trophy they would most like to win this season and a majority would say the Premier League title.

Having gone 22 years without finishing at the summit of the standings, and having been runners-up in each of the last three campaigns, Arsenal are desperate to be crowned champions of England for a 14th time.

Others would pick the Champions League as their priority. After all, Arsenal have never before been crowned kings of the continent. Given they are top of the league phase, the Gunners have a genuine shot at winning Europe’s foremost competition.

No one would say the FA Cup. With Arsenal already in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, even that tournament might rank higher than the FA Cup among the preferences of Arsenal supporters.

That is in part because the Gunners have won the FA Cup on multiple occasions in the past. No one has been as successful in the competition as Arsenal, who have gone all the way 14 times.

One of those triumphs came early in Mikel Arteta’s tenure. Just a few months after he succeeded Unai Emery, Arteta oversaw a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final of 2020.

The hope was that Arsenal’s success that year would prove to be the first of several trophies over the following seasons. Things have not turned out that way.

Arteta has done an excellent job at the Emirates Stadium, taking a team that had grown accustomed to finishing outside the top four and turning them into one of the strongest sides not just in England, but in Europe too.

Yet in terms of tangible prizes, Arsenal have nothing to show for their undeniable progress. 

Taking the last five years as a whole, the Gunners have outperformed the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. Yet those two clubs have won silverware (so too Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Leicester City) and Arsenal have not.

With Manchester City wobbling, Arsenal are clear favourites to win the Premier League this term. They are well positioned in the Champions League and will take some stopping in the FA Cup too.

The way things are going, some of the supporters who are asked the aforementioned question might refuse to choose, believing Arsenal can conquer all-comers on multiple fronts.

Portsmouth vs Arsenal betting tips

Arsenal will be looking to avoid an FA Cup upset when they take on Portsmouth.

Rotated Arsenal can triumph

Arteta will no doubt shuffle his pack for Sunday’s trip to Portsmouth, especially with an EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea on the horizon.

Arsenal beat Pompey 2-0 on the road to cup success in 2019/20, and this will be only the second meeting between the pair since the south coast side were last in the Premier League.

Portsmouth are currently 21st in the Championship, a place and a point above the bottom three. They have bigger fish to fry than the FA Cup.

Only crisis club Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer goals than Portsmouth, so even a rotated Arsenal backline should be able to keep the opposition attack quiet.

Go for Arsenal to win to nil at 5/6 with Tote

Arsenal attack to shine

For the first time all season, Arteta has a full complement of attacking options at his disposal following Kai Havertz’s return from injury.

Havertz, Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres are Arsenal’s three choices at centre-forward. Out wide, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri and Noni Madueke are competing for minutes. Martin Odegaard and Ebere Eze are creative options in behind.

Whichever selection Arteta goes for at Fratton Park, Portsmouth will struggle to handle the Arsenal frontline.

At the same time, the Gunners may ease off once they have established a comfortable lead. Two or three away goals for Arteta’s side feels most likely.

Back Arsenal to score two or three goals at 12/13 with 247Bet

Jesus can pounce

Havertz is probably not quite ready to start a game after so many months on the treatment table. 

That means there is a good chance Jesus will begin the match up front for Arsenal, with Gyokeres on the bench.

If the Brazilian can stay fit for the remainder of 2025/26, he has a big role to play as the Gunners compete on multiple fronts.

Jesus has never been the most prolific striker out there, but his footballing ability is clear for all to see. The former Manchester City man can strike against second-tier opposition.

Select Gabriel Jesus to score any time at 10/11 with bet365

Portsmouth vs Arsenal predicted lineups

• Portsmouth expected lineup: Schmid; Devlin, Shaughnessy, Poole, Swanson; Dozzell, Swift; Yang, Segecic, Blair; Kirk.
• Arsenal expected lineup: Arrizabalaga; White, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Merino, Norgaard, Eze; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli.

Where to watch Portsmouth vs Arsenal

• Location: Fratton Park, Portsmouth, England.
• Date and time: Sunday 11th January, 2pm.
• How to watch: TNT Sports 1.

More FA Cup predictions

We have plenty more FA Cup predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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