‘Atrocious… huge pressure’: Portsmouth Championship survival battle call made as Sky Sports pundit delivers Blackburn Rovers prediction

And the Blues are now firmly back in the second-tier fight for survival this season, according to an EFL expert assessing the state of play at the foot of the table with eight games to go.

But John Mousinho’s side are also being backed to return to winning ways against Blackburn Rovers this weekend, as they see a massive three points in their bid for survival.

The battle to stay up has been afforded attention by respected and popular EFL podcast, Not The Top 20, this week.

The clubs at the foot of the table and their run-ins were put under the spotlight by George Elek and Ali Maxwell, with Elek seeing cause for concern for Pompey fans after having the gap to safety cut to four points.

Speaking on this week’s podcast, Elek said: ‘It looked a relegation battle between a few teams who were really bad and couldn’t pick up points.

‘It was a better position when you were 10 points clear of it.

‘Certainly Derby’s three wins on the bounce and Luton winning a couple of games has meant this has got incredibly tight.

‘There’s a clutch of teams, Oxford and Portsmouth being the main two, who looked home and hosed at different points of the season.

‘Pompey was more recently after that 1-0 win over Leeds, but are now very much within it.

‘It wouldn’t surprise me at all, Portsmouth are the outsiders of the genuine runners and riders in this but their away form all season has been atrocious - and there’s no getting away from that.

‘The away games they have left come at Coventry Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich - that is tough when you’ve won two away games all season.

‘If they don’t pick up anything or very little from those games, there’s going to be huge pressure on their home form.

‘Given we last saw them lose at home 2-1 to an Argyle team, they’re not down yet but it would be one of most incredible survival stories we’ve ever seen if they play their way out of their position, so Pompey are in it.’

Sky Sports presenter’s Blackburn Rovers call

Meanwhile, there’s a more upbeat picture being painted by Sky Sports’ EFL presenter, David Prutton, with the former Southampton man tipping Mousinho’s side to turn over Blackburn at Fratton Park.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ EFL Essentials podcast, Prutton said: ‘They seemed to be edging away, but those last two defeats have drawn them back in Pompey.

‘I’m going to say they’re going to get back to winning ways against a Blackburn side who’ve lost their last three and four of their last five. I’m going for Pompey to play up and win 2-1.’

YOUR NEXT POMPEY READ: ‘I think so’: Pompey boss' update on West Ham starlet’s return after sealing new deal.