Preston vs Sunderland prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-05-07 14:00.
Preston have paid the ultimate price for a four-game winless run (D1, L3), with a 4-1 loss at Bramall Lane to close April ensuring that the inaugural champions of England (back in 1888/89) will spend at least one more season in the Championship. They might not have anything tangible left to play for, but they can share the disappointment of missing out on a top-six berth with Sunderland, should they prevent the Black Cats from winning.
To Preston’s credit, they are unbeaten in seven matches at Deepdale (W4, D3) and the tail end of that run shows a penchant for favourable late twists, with three of the last four games here seeing Preston net in the 90th minute or later!
That can only ramp up Sunderland’s nerves, especially as the mandatory win must also be accompanied by a defeat for Coventry or a draw/loss for Millwall so the North East outfit can sneak into the playoffs. As if their mission wasn’t already hard enough, the Wearsiders are also aiming to get a first win at Deepdale since August 2003 – though they are boosted by an encouraging eight-game unbeaten run heading into this game (W3, D5).
Sunderland are also unbeaten in four on the road (W3, D1), with three clean sheets amongst them and each win coming by a single-goal margin. That streak has contributed towards their near-perfect record from away league games when scoring the opener (W9, D1), with the Black Cats doing so in the 37th minute on average across those ten occasions.
Players to watch: In a battle of men who seem to thrive after their half-time oranges, Tom Cannon has netted after the interval in each of Preston’s last four home victories, while Dennis Cirkin has done likewise three times across Sunderland’s two most recent wins on the road.
Hot streak: In a record spanning back to November 1962, each of Sunderland’s last 11 wins over Preston have seen them score multiple times.