Preston vs Coventry prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-11-03 15:00.
Despite sitting in the dizzying heights of top-spot not too long ago, Preston now find themselves sitting outside the play-offs thanks to a seven-match winless league run (D3, L4). The more positive North End fans will be keen to point out that all four losses came against sides currently above them in the table, although that only serves to reinforce the reason why Preston always tend to fade away in their play-off push.
Itâs probably the latest loss in that run that will sting the most for Preston boss Ryan Lowe, who insisted his side were âlet down by an officiating decisionâ in their 1-0 defeat at Hull last weekend. Lowe will probably be glad to return to Deepdale then, where Preston have lost just once all season in league action (W4, D2, L1), although the last three games in that run are interestingly the winless ones.
Coventry would love nothing more than to extend Prestonâs misery, but given they travel north on the back of three successive league defeats âto nilâ, they donât arrive in the best of form themselves. Theyâve had a little less time for rest and recuperation too having played on Monday evening, going down 2-0 against West Brom, whose fans serenaded Coventry boss Mark Robins with a chant of âyouâre getting sacked in the morningâ – something Robins fortunately saw the funny side of.
Given the Sky Blues sit 20th after 14 rounds (W3, D6, L5) itâs fair to say Robins probably is feeling the heat a little, but just eight points adrift the play-off places with over 30 games to go, the Coventry hierarchy are right to hold their nerve. Interestingly, Coventry sat in an identical league position on the day of this game (4th November) last season and went on to reach the play-off final!
Players to watch: Milutin OsmajiÄ has scored two of Prestonâs last four home league goals, both of which arrived after half-time. After ten months of injury torment, Callum OâHare has returned to action for Coventry across their last two games and could be in line for a start at a ground where he assisted on his last visit.
Hot stat: Preston havenât lost a league H2H against Coventry since September 2007 (W11, D8 since).