Cardiff vs Preston prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-08-26 14:00.
Cardiffâs strikers can expect an earful from under pressure manager Steve Morison if they draw a blank once more this weekend. The Bluebirds boss fumed at his strikers after they failed to score in Sundayâs derby defeat to Bristol City, admitting he's âfed upâ of defending them – theyâve now netted just once in nearly 7.5 hours of football!
The South Wales outfit have managed just three shots on target across their last two fixtures and are certainly falling short of their pre-season promotion ambitions so far, languishing in mid-table after two league games without a win (D1, L1). They may be roused by a strong H2H record with Preston though, against whom they have suffered just one home defeat in 13 meetings since 2004 (W7, D5).
If Cardiff thought they had problems in the final third, theyâre nothing compared to North End, who have had 22 shots on target in the Championship but netted just once. Indeed, fans may be forgiven for resorting to caffeine tablets to keep them awake, given their opening five league fixtures have yielded just one goal at either end, the lowest total in EFL history after five rounds.
Manager Ryan Lowe may shake up his attack by handing a start to Ben Woodburn, who got his first goal for the club in Tuesdayâs League Cup defeat to Wolves. But the lack of goals aside, it has been a strong start to the campaign for a club whose distant hopes of reaching the top flight for the first time since 1960/61 have been enhanced by starting a Championship season with a five game unbeaten run for the first time in 13 years.
Players to watch: Cardiffâs Mark Harris has a 100% record from three appearances against Preston and has netted more goals against them than any other club (two). Meanwhile Prestonâs Daniel Johnson has suffered his joint-most career defeats to Cardiff, six in nine games (W1, D2).
Hot streak: Despite failing to beat Preston in his playing days (D3, L2), Steve Morison has never lost against North End as a manager (W2, D1).