Expert call made over Portsmouth Championship survival with warning attached ahead of big Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle showdowns

But the Blues have been told they need to guard against complacency, if they are to go on and finish the job of staying up in the second tier this term.

The prediction comes after the three-game winning run of John Mousinho’s side came to a close at Luton last weekend, with a 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road.

The result meant the end of a 13-game winless run for the Hatters as Matt Bloomfield picked up his maiden success as boss, after arriving at the club in December.

The gap between Mousinho’s side and the drop zone was reduced from nine to eight points, with the distance remaining the same after mid-week games for Hull, Plymouth and Cardiff.

EFL expert, George Elek, sees Pompey in what is likely to be a secure position come the end of the Championship campaign.

But, speaking on Not The Top 20 Podcast, Elek caveated that view, with the opinion the picture could change without more success.

He said: ‘It (the Luton defeat) keeps Portsmouth honest.

‘They look like a team that is probably out of it, but if they aren’t careful it’s a similar position to Oxford a couple of weeks ago where they are a couple more defeats from being sucked back into the mess.

‘It wasn’t a brilliant performance from Luton by any stretch. I’m not sitting here saying it was the performance we’ve been waiting to see under Bloomfield.

‘They were much better and better defensively, there’s no denying that, but not consistently an attacking threat. At this stage of the season it’s the result that matters and it’s an incredibly important three points for them.’

The Luton game was one which wasn’t easy on the eye, with it a direct game on both sides and little in the way of clearcut opportunities. There was a big headed miss from Connor Ogilvie at Luton late on, however, which Elek believes could prove to be seminal in the Championship survival race.

He added: ‘They (Luton) just needed to somehow get a win over the line and that’s what they did.

‘It was really bitty, not many chances at either end and not much in the way of free-flowing football as Luton tried to manage the game and successfully did, albeit Connor Ogilvie with a huge chance.

‘There aren’t many defenders where you’d probably pick him to be on the end of the chance - a free header six or seven yards out.He meets it perfectly and conspires to head it over the ball. That could be a massive moment in this Championship relegation scrap, where that’s the three points which really brings Luton back into the mix.

‘It takes them off bottom with their first win under Bloomfield and a clean sheet as well.’

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