Preston North End vs Bristol City Prediction: Draw on the cards

Preston North End and Bristol City, along with QPR, are the three longest-serving sides in the Championship. The trio have now spent a decade in the second tier, and PNE and Bristol City have been seemingly inseparable of late. 

They finished 11th and 12th in the league last season, 12th and 14th in 2022/23 and 13th and 17th in the season before that. They are the mid-table stalwarts of the second tier, and they meet at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon (15:00). Below you can find my Preston North End vs Bristol City predictions featuring team news and betting tips.

Team News

Preston took a hammering off Arsenal in midweek as Paul Heckingbottom rotated his squad. With Milutin Osmajic still suspended, Sam Greenwood led the line, but Emil Riis Jakobsen should come back into the team against Bristol City.

Jeppe Okkels and Josh Bowler were also handed a rare starts, but Heckingbottom is likely to go back to his tried and tested with Mads Frokjaer-Jensen likely to support the big Dane up top. Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann were left on the bench in midweek but we can expect them to start this one ahead of Ryan Ledson.

It remains to be seen how he copes with the loss of the injured Robbie Brady in the league, with a switch to a back four a possibility given the Irishman’s effectiveness as a wing-back. His set-piece delivery will also be a big miss in this one. 

Football Odds

Meanwhile, Bristol City may choose to go slightly more attacking in this away test than they did at home to Leeds in the 0-0 draw. Sinclair Armstrong, Fally Mayulu and Harry Cornick were all substitutes last weekend as Nahki Wells started up front, supported by Yu Hirakawa. Max Bird, Marcus McGuane and Jason Knight prevented Leeds from playing in midfield, but one of those could drop out if another wide forward option is included. 

Talented youngster George Earthy has also impressed off the bench of late and is pushing for a start, as the Robins look to flex the muscles of what is a very talented squad on paper.

Preston North End vs Bristol City Odds

Preston are priced at 6/4 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 40%, with Bristol City available at 15/8. A draw can be backed at 23/10, over 2.5 goals is 11/10 and BTTS is 4/5. Emil Riis is the favourite to score first at 7/1. 

Draw @ 23/10

This might be a bit of a predictable shout, but I honestly believe a draw is the most likely outcome at Deepdale. These two are very evenly matched and although I believe Bristol City will finish slightly above the Lilywhites this term, I think Preston’s home advantage will even that marginal disparity out. 

The loss of Brady is a concern for me, but Heckingbottom is a functional manager who knows how to get the best out of his side. Preston are an average Championship outfit (that’s meant to be a compliment), and they’ve won three out of their six home matches so far. They’re not going to trouble the top six, but they are going to be competitive in every game. 

They’ve drawn three of their last four in the league, while Bristol City have drawn five of their last six. The draw specialists of the league meet on Saturday, so we have to back parity once again. 

Correct score 1-1 @ 11/2

I’m also happy to back a correct score in this one, given what we’ve seen from both teams in recent weeks. As I’ve mentioned, Bristol City can’t stop drawing matches at the minute, and of their five recent draws, two have finished 0-0 and two have ended 1-1. 

Meanwhile, Preston haven’t had a 1-1 draw in their last four games, despite three of those ending with a point apiece. I think there’s enough in this one for both teams to find the net, but I don’t think it is going to be a classic. Also three of the last six meetings between these two have ended in a draw, so I’m more than happy to back the 1-1 scoreline.

Offers

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