Southampton vs Preston prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-03-05 19:45.
Saturday afternoonâs encounter was nothing short of pulsating for Southampton, who had to come from behind twice before netting a stoppage time winner in a 4-3 win against Birmingham. Saints boss Russell Martin praised his sideâs âtogetherness and spiritâ as they ended a rotten three-game losing run, and in doing so, kept the gap to the top-two at an assailable five points.
Next up is a clash against Preston North End, a side against whom Southampton remain unbeaten across the last three H2Hs (W2, D1). Extending that streak is by no means a given after suffering as many losses across their last two league games at home (L2) as they did in their first 15 Championship home outings of the campaign (W11, D2, L2). But with that in mind, one must look all the way back to 2008 to find their last run of at least three straight home league defeats outside of the Premier League.
A hard-fought 0-0 draw against Hull extended Prestonâs unbeaten run of league games to seven (W4, D3), but boss Ryan Lowe was unhappy about the standard of officiating, which he believes has âbecome a concernâ. Lowe even implied it could be costing them points at a time when the Lilywhites teeter on the edge of the play-off positions, with just a three-point gap separating them from the top six at the conclusion of last weekendâs action.
This presents an excellent chance to bounce back to winning ways on their travels, as Preston travel south on the back of consecutive away victories âto nilâ. Not since 2020 have they put together a longer run of away league wins, and the fact that only Hull and Cardiff have won more Championship games on the road as pre-match outsiders than Preston (W5, D3, L7) suggests that they arenât without a chance.
Players to watch: Joe Ariboâs incredible 96th minute goal was both the latest goal he has ever scored in his career and his second match-winning goal of the season for Southampton. As for the visitors, Emil Riis could become the first Preston player to score in three straight away appearances since Scott Sinclair completed the feat back in 2020.
Hot stat: Southampton have scored in a Championship-high 33 of their 35 league games this season (including 16 of 17 at home).