How many points do Portsmouth need to win promotion and League One title?

Portsmouth remain in control of their own fate at the top of League One, but how many points do they need to secure a return to the Championship? John Mousinho's men are currently five points clear of Derby County in second and six ahead of Bolton Wanderers in third.

Pompey defeated Burton Albion during the week, and their next title test will come against a strong Peterborough United side this weekend. With eight games remaining, the race for promotion is now truly on, and it's that time of year when the calculators are brought out to see how many points may be required to seal the deal.

At this stage, Pompey have 24 points left on the board with the potential to reach 104 points, while Derby can only reach 99. Bolton can only reach 98. But with neither of the three teams likely to take maximum points, we have taken a look at the past decade to find out the averages required to finish first and second in League One.

Specifically, we have taken a look at the last 10 seasons, including the 2012/13 season to make up for the Covid campaign, which was calculated on points per game, and we have left it out for that reason. What the last 10 seasons show is that an average of 87.3 points are required to secure promotion, while the average second place team finished on 89.9 points.

With Pompey currently on 80, Derby on 75 and Bolton on 74, it's safe to say the second place requirement will be higher this season, as it was last season when 97 points were required to outdo Sheffield Wednesday in third place on 96 points.

As for League One winners, the last 10 winners have accumulated an average of 94.5 points, but the average required to win the league was only 91.3 points, a total Portsmouth only need four wins to surpass, though again, the total required is likely to be higher than the average this season.

Elsewhere, data experts FootballWebPages predict Pompey will finish top with 94 points , believing Derby County will end up on 91. That lines up almost perfectly with the average, while Barnsley are tipped to end up on 89 points in third place.