We're going head-to-head with fans to guess the outcome of a Premier League game every week this season and next up is Blackburn v Portsmouth.
We've made our predictions for the full season at TEAMtalk Towers but we know you can't wait that long to prove us wrong so we're giving you the chance to do it once a week.
We'll pick out one of the big Premier League games every weekend and one of our 'experts' will attempt to predict the result and scoreline. But we'll also get a prediction from a fan of each club to find out who knows the most about the beautiful game - TEAMtalk or the fans.
It's one point for a correct result and three if you can nail the right score, and we're keeping a tally so you can all see just now much we know (or don't know). Feel free to send in your own predictions too - and of course messages to compliment us on another job well done!
Last Time Out
We featured Hull's trip to Burnley last weekend and finally got another point on the board after correctly backing the Clarets to come out on top at Turf Moor. Hallelujah!
Rob McCarthy was happily accepting the plaudits from all at TEAMtalk Towers for getting us some respectability back, but our smiles soon disappeared once we realised the Burnley fan had tipped 2-0 - the correct scoreline.
That means the hosts took a maximum three points for the second time in a row to move way ahead at the top of the prediction table on eight points, with TEAMtalk way back on four and the visitors propping up the table with two.
Week Eight - Blackburn v Portsmouth (Saturday, 3pm)
Portsmouth have finally got the results their performances have merited in the past few weeks so, with Paul Hart's side having the chance to move out of the bottom three, their trip to Blackburn seemed like a good game to feature this week.
Rovers are deep in relegation trouble themselves and will be desperate to pick up all three points so Sam Allardyce will be delighted to be picking from a virtual full-strength squad.
Benni McCarthy has recovered from swine flu and is back in the squad so Vince Grella (thigh) is the only absentee for the hosts, while Portsmouth are boosted by the return to fitness of Frederic Piquionne. Steve Finnan is out, however.
Match Facts
Blackburn find themselves third from bottom in the Premier League following their worst start to a season for five years - they have 10 points from 10 games - but the East Lancashire side have lost just one of their last 11 league matches at Ewood Park.
They have won their last four there in all competitions, scoring 13 goals, and will surely be confident of seeing off a Portsmouth side that have lost the most matches in the league.
However, the south coast outfit have won their last two games 4-0 and have conceded just seven goals on their travels in the Premier League - a record bettered by just five sides.
Blackburn have won 37 to Pompey's 26 of the 86 previous meetings between the sides, and just one of the last 12 league clashes ended in a draw.
Predictions
TEAMtalk - Simon Wilkes: Paul Hart's Pompey will arrive at Ewood Park in decent nick having put four goals past Stoke and Wigan in their last two games - but only one of them was in the Premier League so they are still propping up the table.
If you look at the form book it points to an away win as Rovers have lost their last two games - but look closer and you'll see they've actually won three on the trot at Ewood, picking off Wolves, Villa and Burnley, so Big Sam clearly knows the importance of home comforts to his survival bid.
It should be quite an entertaining affair and I think there'll be a few goals due to dodgy defences on both sides, so I'm going for a 2-2 draw.
Blackburn fan - Chris Tattersall: October has been a really hard month for us Rovers. Three away games, at Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, with just the one home game against our fiercest local rivals, has left us lower down than we perhaps deserve. I think that Sam Allardyce's pragmatic approach will prove effective, as has always been the case and, hopefully, the climb will start on Saturday against Pompey.
Pompey have had a terrible start to the season. Defeat followed defeat and relegation looked little more than a formality. All that changed two weeks ago! Two successive 4-0 victories appear to have re-invigorated the entire club. I wish Pompey well with their climb from the depression that is the bottom three, but I hope that their renaissance begins next week rather than this weekend.
Rovers have a decent home record but Portsmouth also look capable of scoring goals. I think that this game will produce high-scoring stats and I'm predicting a 3-1 victory for the home side.
Portsmouth fan - Angus Mowl: It might sound strange coming from the fan of the bottom side in the league, but we've been playing well this season!
We were creating loads of chances even when we were losing but the ball just wouldn't go in the net for us until we beat Stoke 4-0 in the Carling Cup. It was only their reserve side but it clearly gave everyone some confidence and we beat Wigan by the same score last weekend so we'll be looking forward to this one.
Blackburn are very good at home but this is the sort of game we need to be getting something from if we're going to get out of the bottom three. We could actually do that this weekend (with a massive win) but I'd settle for a draw and I think that's what we'll get. 1-1.


GERRARD19 : "...WOW I celebrated that Portsmouth goal like they were my team and I beleive they have enough quality to survive with the players they have. I only watched the last ten minutes so dont know how well they played throughout ..." view full comment
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Your Comments
Huddo (Leeds United fan)
"Brett Emerton will score the only goal of the game."
svenivar (Blackburn Rovers fan)
"congratulations tatters.
Please come up with a similar profecy for the next game, as you clearly have the gift of Nostradamus :)"
Yasenal (Arsenal fan)
"Wake me up when it's over"
onlyonerobkeane (Tottenham Hotspur fan)
"2-1 pompey"
dr_bab (Sunderland fan)
"Really difficult to predict, as Pompey really have been playing better than their position suggests (in the games I've seen). Rovers are probably still my favourites to nick it based on the home advantage, but looking at the odds I think the game is more open than the prices suggest, so if forced to make a bet I'd rather go with Pompey at 14/5 than Rovers at 11/10. Blackburn might perhaps start to feel they are entering must-win terretory themselves, after a run of hard fixtures, and you never know how that plays out in the minds and nerves of the players, especially if Pompey continue their attacking form of the last couple of games and get the first goal. So I _think_ it will be 2-1 for Blackburn, but I put my money on the away win based on the prices available. "
ms2211
"Pompey have been playing really well lately, and I think that will continue at Ewood. 2-1 Portsmouth."
HellAngel
"I predict a draw!"
abs (Blackburn Rovers fan)
"I think it will come down to who sam alardyce starts with. If he goes with andrews in the heart of the midfield then i can see blackburn struggling.
If steven reid makes his first start this season instead of andrews i can see it making the difference we have needed in those away games.
2-1 blackburn
mokoeona to get sent off"
Roland_Rat (Sunderland fan)
"Portsmouth have had a bit of a revival lately and I am pleased for them as being a SAFC fan I know what they have been going through. BUT. I think that Blackburn at Ewood Park will be to much for Pompy. 3-0 home win."
All comments on this story
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