Preston vs Leicester Prediction: Foxes to surge into Premier League

We’ve got a massive weekend of Championship action ahead of us as Leeds, Ipswich and Leicester all vie for the two automatic places. Enzo Maresca’s Foxes know that three points on Monday night will see them return to the Premier League at the first time of asking with one game to play, no matter what their rivals can produce. 

They travel to Preston on Monday (20:00, Sky Sports Football), hoping to get the job done in style at Deepdale. Below you can find my Preston vs Leicester prediction, in this crucial Championship encounter. 

Team News

Preston manager Ryan Lowe is expecting to be without first team regulars Ben Whiteman, Brad Potts and Ali McCann - after the trio missed the defeat to QPR last time out. The boss cannot make too many changes due to these injuries, but Mads Frøkjær-Jensen could come in for Ben Woodburn in the number 10 role. 

Leicester are likely to name the same team that thumped Southampton 5-0 in midweek. Enzo Maresca has confirmed he has a fully-fit squad and that means that Jamie Vardy will lead the line, supported by hat-trick hero Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi. It’s all systems go for the Foxes. 

Match Odds

Leicester are priced at 4/9 to win this match, giving them a win probability of 69%. Meanwhile, PNE are priced at 11/2, and a draw can be backed at 18/5. If you want goals, BTTS can be backed at 5/6. 

Leicester to win to nil @ 11/8

This should be a promotion party for Leicester in Lancashire. They may already know their fate before a ball is kicked, but either way, they are likely to win this game in style. I think despite the wobbles, they’ve now come through the other side unscathed and it's a question of when, not if, they confirm their Premier League return. 

They should be able to overcome a PNE side that have lost their last three on the bounce, and are seeing their season fizzle out. Interestingly, and importantly for this selection, Preston have also failed to score in their last three games, while the Foxes kept a clean sheet against Saints in midweek. The price of 11/8 for them to win to nil makes a lot of sense in my eyes. 

Leicester to win 3-0 @ 9/1

With such a wealth of attacking talent to call upon, I want to back a big Leicester win, but I also don’t want to select an individual goalscorer. That means I’ve moved into the correct score market, and plucked out a 3-0 away win at 9/1.  

They should win this game to nil, and they can dominate proceedings at Deepdale. Once they are three goals to the good, they won’t need to push on for more goals, and we could see them take their foot off the gas. I think this is a great price based on what we have seen from both teams in recent weeks. 

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