Derby vs Preston Prediction: Rams to make it four in a row

We’ve got some bonus Championship action coming our way on Wednesday as Derby County host Preston North End (19:45, Sky Sports+). Derby have given themselves a shot at survival by winning their last three games in a row and now they sit just two points from safety, meaning a win here would take them above the dotted line.

Below you can find my Derby vs Preston predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Marcus Harness and Jerry Yates will start in attack for the home side after the former Ipswich man scored a brace against Plymouth last time out. Derby have won three in a row so John Eustace is unlikely to make any major changes to his 3-5-2 system. 

Ben Osborn, Curtis Nelson and David Ozoh are all still out so Craig Forsyth, Matthew Clarke and Nat Phillips should make up the back three. Harrison Armstrong started and scored from midfield in his last game so should retain his place despite being just 18, while Kemar Roofe and Corey Blackett-Taylor are edging closer to returns. 

Football Odds

Meanwhile Preston suffered a devastating blow last week as goalkeeper Freddie Woodman was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle issue. It means that David Cornell will play in goal, just as he did against Aston Villa in Sunday's FA Cup defeat, although that was just his third start of the season. 

Ali McCann still remains injured, while Sam Greenwood is suspended while substitutes Liam Lindsay and Milutin Osmajic could both be brought into the starting XI by Paul Heckingbottom. Kaine Kesler-Hayden should return to the team having been ineligible to play against his parent club, which should allow Robbie Brady to play in his natural position on the left. 

Derby vs Preston Odds

Derby are priced at 11/8 to win this one, giving them an implied win probability of 42%. Derby have won eight from 19 at home this term, while Preston can be backed at 12/5. A draw is priced at 2/1 and PNE have drawn on 17 occasions this season already. 

In terms of goals, over 2.5 can be backed at 7/4 having come in during 42% of Derby’s matches, while BTTS is 6/5. Yates is the favourite to open the scoring at 6/1 having found the net seven times in 2024/25. 

Derby to win @ 11/8 

Preston have only won three away games this term and Derby have won their last three on the bounce. This is a simple selection in my eyes as PNE suffered a massive blow in losing Woodman over the international break and that’s a big loss for their starting XI. They’ve also been distracted by that FA Cup tie and while Derby rested, they were put to the sword by Villa. 

The Rams are a completely different outfit under Eustace, who is proving the doubters wrong with recent performances. He oversaw an impressive 2-1 win over his former side Blackburn Rovers, and followed it up with another home win against Coventry, before taking all three points at Plymouth. Those home wins are impressive and the carrot of getting out of the relegation zone will surely inspire the Rams to put in another solid home display. I’m backing them to get the three points they need to climb above Cardiff City this Wednesday night. 

Marcus Harness to score first @ 8/1

Harness only has four goals this season, so you can see why we are getting great value on him to open the scoring here. But rather than looking at the season as a whole, I’m going to zoom in on his recent form, which gives me great encouragement. Since Eustace came in he has shown obvious improvement, and now he has been thrust into a central striker role alongside Yates, we are seeing some serious progression in terms of numbers. 

Harness has now scored three goals in his last two games and he’s now being trusted to play the full 90 minutes, which will only boost his confidence. I would pick Harness as the most likely player to score first on Wednesday night, so the fact we are getting a massive price of 8/1 for him to do so is a bonus. Strap in, Harness can pull us through again. 

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Bet of the Day offerings at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.