Burnley vs Preston prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-02-10 15:00.
History beckons for Burnley in this Red Rose clash against Preston, with the Clarets knowing victory here would see them join Reading and Aston Villa as the only sides in Championship history to win ten successive games. A convincing 3-0 victory against Norwich allowed them this opportunity to etch their name in the history books, and Vincent Kompany’s men followed that up by beating Ipswich 2-1 in their FA Cup replay in midweek.
Now 17 points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough, it would take a catastrophic collapse to see Burnley denied an instant return to the Premier League. It’s hard to see that starting on home soil for the Clarets, with nine successive home league wins proving Turf Moor is once again a fortress, though peculiarly the last side to win a Championship game on Burnley turf was Preston back in 2015!
Even the most devout of Preston fans will accept a repeat result appears unlikely, especially after their side’s 2-1 collapse against Bristol City last time out which saw North End booed off at both half-time and full-time. That was translated by a small minority of Preston fans into “vile abuse” in the words of boss Ryan Lowe, but after insisting his side must “stick together”, better days do usually come on the road for the Lilywhites.
In fact they’ve won four of their last five Championship away games, but with three of those victories coming by slender one-goal margins, a tight affair is likely in order if Preston are to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointment. It wasn’t particularly tight in their last Lancashire derby away clash as they ran out 4-1 winners against Blackburn, and interestingly their road trip to Blackpool also bore six goals (L 4-2) so perhaps entertainment could be on the cards.
Players to watch: Anass Zaroury has been Burnley’s go-to man for game-winning goals this season, netting the decisive strike in victory in six of his last seven scoring appearances. Expect a strong second half showing from Preston’s Ched Evans, who has netted six of his seven goals this season after the break.
Hot stat: No Championship side has scored more second half home goals than Burnley’s 21.