Coventry vs Preston prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-02-22 19:45.
A tremendous run of just two defeats in 18 Championship games (W10, D6) has thrust Coventry into the final play-off place by virtue of goal difference, in an almost copycat season to 2022/23, when they also started their campaign slowly before catching fire and making the play-off final. After failing to score in three consecutive games at the end of October and averaging just over a goal a game in their first 16 league outings, it’s been their attack that’s led their charge, with their average almost doubling over the last 17 games!
The Sky Blues also boast the fourth-best clean sheet record in the Championship with ten, but it has been the goals scored that have won them games more recently. Their 1-0 win at Stoke last time out was the first time in nine league games that they’ve kept the opposition at bay, with boss Mark Robins referencing that fact post-match, stating he was glad to have the monkey off his back.
Hot on Coventry’s tails, among others, in the play-off race are Friday night’s opponents Preston, who have also enjoyed an upturn in form recently following a poor start to the calendar year. Manager Ryan Lowe remains a polarising figure splitting the Lilywhites fanbase, but whatever the club’s fans think of him, they’re now unbeaten in five (W3, D2) and within touching distance of the top six.
Only twice in their previous eight Championship seasons have North End picked up more points by this stage, and like Coventry, it’s often goals that win Lowe’s side games given a poor defensive average of more than 1.5 goals conceded per game. No team currently in the top six have conceded anywhere near as many, with Preston’s lowly five league clean sheets the third-worst record in the Championship overall.
Players to watch: Seven of Haji Wright’s ten league goals this season have come at home, with eight of those ten arriving in the second half. Preston’s Emil Riis has netted in each of their last three, and has two in his last three appearances against Coventry, both of which were match winners.
Hot stat: Preston have dominated this H2H in recent times, losing just twice in the last 33 league meetings (W19, D12), with seven wins in the most recent nine (D2)!