Preston vs Huddersfield prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-25 15:00.
Preston North End’s chances of spending Christmas in the Championship’s top-six were eviscerated by a QPR side relishing new management, as a 1-0 defeat saw them displaced by the Rs in the playoff zone. Lilywhites boss Ryan Lowe bemoaned his side’s luck in the aftermath, stating that “a bit of fortune” was the only difference after a goalless first half.
Another 0-0 scoreline at the interval has potential to cause concern amongst the Lilywhites faithful though, especially as Preston have now failed to net beyond half-time on home turf in three attempts. The QPR result also contributed further to Preston’s reputation for false starts, with Lowe’s men conceding first in seven of their last nine games at Deepdale.
But their woes don’t compare to Huddersfield Town’s, as last season’s promotion playoff finalists spend Christmas rock bottom and seven points adrift of safety. While blessed with a game in hand, the Terriers still face a mountain if they are to become only the second side in five seasons (after Stoke’s class of 2019/20) to beat relegation after sitting bottom on December 25th.
Following a grim 2-0 defeat to Watford last time out, coach Mark Fotheringham stated that he “understands” the frustrations of Terriers fans. Yet, an atrocious winless H2H away record spanning back to April 1973 (D7, L11) implies that those frustrations might only grow, in what is the first of two quickfire Deepdale trips prior to the FA Cup third round.
Players to watch: Omitted from Wales’ World Cup squad, Ben Woodburn will be eager to plot a route towards more consistent international action. He netted first in Preston’s thumping 4-1 win vs Blackburn earlier this month, though it was not a decisive blow – unlike fellow Welshman Sorba Thomas’ most recent strike, which came on Boxing Day last year as part of a brace, in a 3-2 win for Huddersfield over another Lancashire side (Blackpool).
Hot stat: Only one of the 14 league H2Hs played this century has seen the visiting side on the day score before half-time.