Preston vs Ipswich Prediction: Pressure on Town to deliver

Ipswich’s promotion push has been derailed by just one win in their last seven Championship matches and the FA Cup hasn’t offered a safe haven for the Suffolk side either.

Kieran McKenna’s men were dumped out of the cup by National League South side Maidstone last weekend and, while that was a game that Town dominated, the defeat certainly can’t be considered a confidence booster.

Match Odds

Despite their recent slump in from, visitors Ipswich are 1/1 to take all three points at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon, with the draw priced at 5/2 and a victory for the Lilywhites available at 11/4.

Both teams to score is a shot 4/5 shot, while Preston are 7/5 to score the first goal of the game on their own patch.

Team News

Ched Evans and Kian Best and the only two Preston players unavailable to Ryan Lowe and North End are boosted by the return of centre-back Jack Whatmough, who missed the last four matches.

Ipswich welcome new signing Kieffer Moore into their squad, but the Tractor Boys are without Massimo Luongo and Cameron Burgess.

Double Chance - Preston/Draw @ 4/5

Ipswich were dumped out of the FA Cup after a 2-1 defeat to National League South side Maidstone last weekend and that was the climax of what has been a sticky spell of McKenna’s men.

The Suffolk side had 78 per cent possession, 25 shots and 11 corners against Maidstone and, while the defeat can go down as an unfortunate one, it was still a morale-sapping loss for a side who have won only one of their last seven Championship matches.

McKenna has reacted by signing four players in the January transfer window and Moore and Jeremy Sarmiento will be available to the Tractor Boys for the trip to Preston.

However, North End have lost only five of the 15 matches they have played at home in all competitions this season and Ipswich don’t appear to be a side at the peak of their powers.

It’s 4/5 that Saturday’s clash ends in a Draw or a Preston victory and that looks like a value play.

Over 2.5 goals @ 10/11

Preston have played 15 matches at Deepdale this season and those matches are averaging 3.2 goals per game.

Ipswich have seen three of their last four games go over 2.5 goals and that includes when conceding against Wimbledon and Maidstone in the FA Cup.

Leeds and Southampton are piling the pressure on the Suffolk side in the race for promotion to the Premier League and a draw isn’t much use to McKenna and his players at this stage in the season.

That should ensure that Ipswich continue to push forward and getting long on goals looks the bet.

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