Big statement made over Portsmouth as Sky Sports pundit predicts first Championship win with West Brom and Burnley to come

And Sky Sports EFL expert, Andy Hinchcliffe believes teams will be ‘worried’ about taking on John Mousinho’s side, after their return to the second tier.

Hinchcliffe assessed the Blues’ transfer work this summer and start to the campaign, as they picked up three draws from testing outings before suffering defeat to leaders Sunderland last time out.

Things aren’t getting easier with West Brom arriving at Fratton on Sunday after a strong start, then relegated Premier League pair Burnley and Sheffield United to come after.

Hinchcliffe feels, however, victory will arrive in that time for a Pompey side Championship opponents won’t want to take on.

When asked when Pompey will get their first win, Hinchcliffe told Sky Sports’ Essential EFL podcast, ‘Probably after Stoke when they’ve played those three games!

‘A bit like Oxford, it’s about continuity (at Pompey). If you look at the players they brought in during the course of the summer, they probably didn’t get everyone they wanted to bring in.

‘But they are a club who want to invest in young players - and that’s what they’ve done over the course of the summer.

‘They’ve brought in a lot of young players, so it’s going to be difficult with young players transitioning to the Championship.

‘Then you’ve got that run of fixtures as well. Would John Mousinho look at it in a positive way and say, right, we know now just how good the Championship is, if we didn’t know before a ball was kicked. I guess you have to look at it that way.

‘I think teams will be worried about playing Portsmouth.

‘It’s not just “yes, they are having a bit of a problem finding their best XI and they have new players coming into the team - it’s going to be a foregone conclusion”.

‘I do believe they will win one of their next three games - I’m not sure who it will be against, but they are certainly good enough and the belief is there.’

Hinchcliffe pulled no punches about the mountain Pompey have needed to climb so far this season, in terms of the quality of opposition faced.

But he is confident Mousinho will offer a steady hand at the tiller, with anyone writing the Blues off at this early stage premature in doing so.

Hinchcliffe added: ‘John Mousinho is such a very good coach and speaks very well. 

‘We’ve interviewed him many times and he won’t be getting too carried away about what this season holds.

‘But that fixture list is horrendous, you wouldn’t have picked those games to start with.

‘So it is about getting through those games, learning about yourselves and the quality of the Championship.

‘But don’t rush to judgment just because Portsmouth haven’t won a game yet, because they are still a good side who will get better once those new players settle in.’