Preston vs Wigan Prediction: PNE fancied for comfortable win

Wigan Athletic won’t have to travel far for their FA Cup third-round clash on Friday night as they visit Deepdale to face Championship outfit Preston North End (19:30 GMT, TNT Sports 5).

Can the Latics spring a surprise, or will PNE continue their good form? Read on for my Preston vs Wigan predictions.

Team News

After a busy festive period, we could see heavy rotation from Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom. Will Keane, Daniel Jebbison, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen and Michael Smith were all named on the bench in the win over Bristol City, so three of those four could come into the attack, while Thierry Small should start on the left side, with Pol Valentin likely to feature on the right of the back five. 

Ali McCann should play in midfield, while Jack Walton should be given the nod in goal, as Preston’s cup keeper this season. 

Wigan manager Ryan Lowe could go strong for this one, given his side sit 15th in League 1, with James Carragher set to start again in defence. Loanee Paul Mullin has been sent back to Wrexham, but Coventry loanee Raphael Borges Rodrigues should feature again on the left wing. 

Callum McManaman, who started in Wigan’s shock 2013 FA Cup final win over Manchester City, is back at the club and would love to make more history in this competition, 13 years on.

Football Odds

Preston vs Wigan Odds

Preston are the favourites here to win in 90 minutes at 5/6, giving them an implied win probability of 54% while the away side are 18/5 and a draw is 23/10. 

Over 2.5 goals is 6/5, BTTS is 1/1 and four Preston players, including Lewis Dobbin, are all 4/1 to open the scoring.

Preston to win @ 5/6

I am always slightly wary of backing the favourite in these cup games, but I really like this Preston team and the depth their squad has. The line-up we’ve predicted looks incredibly strong on paper, and given PNE now sit just three points off the top two in the Championship, Heckingbottom is clearly a fantastic manager who deserves massive credit.

Wigan have only managed to win one of their last six outings, and although they have beaten two teams to reach this stage, they needed penalties to beat both Hemel Hempstead and Barrow. I think this should be a pretty straightforward home win, despite the big away backing Wigan will get. 

Correct score: Preston 2-0 Wigan @ 7/1

Given the expected changes, I think it's wise to stay away from any goalscorer or cards picks in this market. Instead, I will back a correct score, and given Preston have won their last two Championship matches without conceding, I think they can do the same against League 1 opposition. 

I don’t think Wigan will score, and so feel the most likely scoreline is a 2-0 home win at a decent price.

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