Preston vs Norwich prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-01-13 15:00.
Only one point and one place separates Preston North End and Norwich City ahead of their Championship showdown at Deepdale, with this a golden chance for both sides to assert themselves in the play-off race. Preston will hope they have turned a corner after consecutive wins ended a run of three straight league defeats but given no side has been drawing as many games at half-time in the Championship as Preston this season (HT: W5, D18, L3), the second half may be crucial in deciding whether North End can open 2023 with a third successive victory.
Unsurprisingly, the reverse fixture was also level at the break (HT: 1-1), with Preston going on to win 3-2, giving them the chance to complete their first H2H league double since 2005/06. Securing such a feat may be easier said than done though, as Preston have lost their last three Championship home matches which marks their worst such run since October 2020.
On current form, Norwich may not threaten that record having lost four of their last five games (D1), but the Canaries should still be upbeat as their new head coach David Wagner looks to “restart” their season ahead of his first league game in charge. Perhaps best known for being Jurgen Klopp’s best man at his wedding, Wagner made a losing start to life as Norwich boss with a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn in the FA Cup, but having masterminded Huddersfield’s promotion to the Premier League back in 2016/17, he will be keen for a winning league start.
Worryingly though, Wagner’s previous Championship stint with Huddersfield started with a defeat in his first league game but Norwich’s recent away form (W2, L1) presents a ray of hope to bucking that trend. Both those away wins saw Norwich take a lead within the first 20 minutes and another early strike here could calm the nerves as Wagner seeks to endear the success-hungry Norwich faithful.
Players to watch: Ched Evans has already contributed to seven Championship goals this term (G6, A1) which is his personal-best as a Preston player. Looking for an early impact, Teemu Pukki has netted Norwich’s first goal in each of his last six Championship scoring appearances.
Hot stat: Ahead of this round, only Wigan (11) have conceded more goals beyond the 80th minute than Norwich’s eight.