West Ham vs Portsmouth betting tips, bet builder and predictions: Bowen the difference maker on home turf

West Ham and Portsmouth meet at the London Stadium in the EFL Cup first round on Saturday afternoon.

West Ham vs Portsmouth betting tips

• Jarrod Bowen to score first – 5/1 with Tote
• Under 2.5 goals in the game – 11/5 with Midnite
• Both teams to score – 2/3 with Tote
• Bet Builder: Bowen to score first, under 2.5 goals, BTTS – 80/1 with Tote

West Ham vs Portsmouth predicted lineups

West Ham (4-3-3): Hermansen (GK); Walker-Peters, Kilman, Mavropanos, Diouf; Kante, Ward-Prowse, Lamadrid; Bowen, Taty, Pablo

Portsmouth (4-3-3): Schmid (GK); Devlin, Knight, Matthews, Swanson; Pack, Swift, Segecic; Blair, Bishop, Anderson

West Ham vs Portsmouth head to head overview

West Ham vs Portsmouth prediction

The 2026/27 EFL season kicks off this weekend with the EFL Cup first round. Recently relegated West Ham clash Championship counterparts Portsmouth at the London Stadium.

There’s been significant changes at boardroom level at West Ham this summer, along with some big name departures that have boosted their transfer budget.

Rumours are rife around a possible move for Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott before the transfer window closes.

But the pre-season link up between captain Jarrod Bowen and Taty Castellanos should be enough to dispatch Pompey and advance to the second round.

Portsmouth closed out their preseason with a 0-0 draw with Bundesliga.2 outfit Darmstadt.

The south coast club have made five summer signings so far, with NAC Breda’s goalkeeper Daniel Bielica the latest to arrive at Fratton Park and fighting for the number 1 spot.

Pompey have only scored five goals in their six pre-season matches, which indicates going under 2.5 goals may be the value play here.

West Ham have been trying to fine-tune their attack, while eyeing up more recruitment. The Hammers should have enough in a low-scoring affair.

West Ham vs Portsmouth best bets

Bowen’s quick start

Jarrod Bowen’s decision to stay at West Ham gave the whole club a boost and a man who has 22 senior England caps, should be a cut above against Championship opposition.

When Bowen last played a full season in the Championship he plundered 22 goals in 46 league games for Hull City.

We’re backing the 29-year-old to hit the ground running in this one and break the deadlock.

Low-scoring affair

As mentioned, Portsmouth found it tough to find the net in pre-season. Their 2-1 win over Woking in July was the only time they’ve scored more than one goal in six warm-up matches.

West Ham look good for the win but it may not be goals-galore in east London on Saturday.

West Ham vs Portsmouth latest odds

Find the latest West Ham vs Portsmouth betting odds here, odds courtesy of Sky Bet and are subject to change.

• West Ham – 2/5
• Draw – 16/5
• Portsmouth – 4/1

More EFL predictions

Find more predictions and betting tips from our expert punters in our match previews for the start of the new season!

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