Preston vs Reading prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-04-09 14:00.
A quickfire double from Tom Cannon helped Preston North End beat Queens Park Rangers on Good Friday for their fourth win in five Championship matches (L1), a run that’s catapulted them into play-off contention with six league games remaining. “We knew we’d get chances to score goals – and that’s what we did,” delighted manager Ryan Lowe said afterwards.
That away win was a huge boost for North End, and with just three home games left, extending a five-match unbeaten sequence in Championship games at Deepdale (W3, D2) could go a long way towards securing that coveted top-six finish. However, hosting struggling Reading offers no guarantee of success as they haven’t won any of the last four H2Hs here (D1, L3).
That might offer a glimmer of hope for Reading, whose third successive 1-1 draw (vs Birmingham City) – just days after being docked six points – saw them drop into the relegation zone. That was their seventh consecutive winless Championship fixture (D3, L4) so they’re running out of time to save themselves, particularly with four of their final six outings against sides currently in the top half.
Their awful form on the road is also a significant concern as they haven’t won a Championship away game since mid-November (D2, L7), failing to score in five of the last seven of those fixtures. If the Royals are to maintain their good recent record at Deepdale, then opening the scoring as they did against Birmingham could be key – two of their three league road wins this term came after they broke the deadlock.
Players to watch: Preston’s Cannon is on fire at the moment having scored five times across their last five league games with four of those goals between the 50th and 70th minute. Reading’s Andy Carroll will try to bring all his experience to bear after scoring before the break in two of their last three matches.
Hot streak: Preston have lost the last six home games they played on a Monday.