Preston North End vs Sunderland Prediction: Back BTTS at Deepdale

Preston North End host Sunderland at Deepdale on Wednesday (20:00, Sky Sports Main Event) hoping to end their three-game winless run in the EFL Championship. The Lilywhites were beaten on their last outing at home to Bristol City, having drawn the two matches before that.

Sunderland were held to a surprising goalless draw at Queens Park Rangers at the weekend, so they will look to get back to winning ways to maintain their lead at the top of the table. Read on for my Preston North End vs Sunderland prediction, including match odds and team news.

Preston North End vs Sunderland Odds

Preston are 21/10 to win this fixture, giving them an implied probability of 32.3%. Sunderland are valued at 11/8 to collect the three points, which gives them a theoretical chance of 42.1%. The draw is marketed at 11/5 (31.3%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 4/5 and over 2.5 goals can be backed at 11/10.

Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor has scored four goals in the Championship this season, and he is 11/5 to score anytime at Deepdale. Winger Romaine Mundle also has four for the Black Cats and you can get him at 7/2 to find the back of the net in this clash.

Football Odds

Team News

Preston striker Milutin Osmajic continues to serve his lengthy suspension for biting Blackburn Rovers' Owen Beck back in September. This match will be the seventh of the eight matches he is banned for.

Fellow forwards Will Keane and Ched Evans are out injured, leaving Paul Heckingbottom with just Sam Greenwood and Emil Riis Jakobsen as his available options up front. Irishman Robbie Brady is also out with an ankle problem, and his absence has been a huge blow for the hosts.

Sunderland will be without the services of midfielder Jobe Bellingham for this one as he serves the first of a three-game ban for his reckless challenge at QPR over the weekend. This should make way for former Preston man Alan Browne to start against his former employers alongside Dan Neil and Chris Rigg.

Goalkeeper Anthony Patterson is out injured, so Simon Moore will continue between the sticks for Regis Le Bris' side. Dan Ballard, Aji Alese, Ian Poveda and Salis Abdul Samed are also in the treatment room.

Sunderland to win @ 11/8

It was surprising to see Sunderland falter slightly at QPR at the weekend because the Rs have been in troublesome form throughout the season. I think its fair to say that this was a rare blip for Le Bris' side, so I'm backing them to bounce back straight away in another away fixture.

The Black Cats had won three on the bounce before heading to west London and they are unbeaten in their last six matches. They are in much better form than their hosts, who will still be reeling from their home defeat at the weekend.

Bellingham will be a big miss in this game but Sunderland's depth allows them to replace him with former Lilywhite Browne, who has been a shrewd operator in this division for many years. I can see him having a big impact on Wednesday night at the place he called home for a decade.

It will be interesting to see what kind of reception he gets from the home crowd, but I'm sure he can silence them with a strong performance if there are any jeers.

With the likes of Rigg, Isidor, Mundle and Patrick Roberts, Sunderland boast one of the most exciting attacking teams in the division, and I can see them experiencing a lot of joy against a defence that have shipped 11 goals in their last four matches.

This will be music to the ears of the side that are the joint-highest scorers in the league with 23 (at the time of writing). I think Sunderland can bounce back in style on Wednesday evening.

Both teams to score @ 4/5

I don't think Sunderland will keep a clean sheet on this occasion, however, as BTTS has landed Preston's last three matches, while it has been a winning selection in four of Sunderland's away trips in the Championship this season.

Preston are struggling for consistency, but that is expected of a team you always have pegged to finish in mid-table year after year. They do have some decent players but not enough for them to challenge at the top end of the table.

However, Deepdale is regarded as one of the tough places for teams to go and although it may not seem like it right now, they could make it a tough 90 minutes for the league leaders as they are desperate to get back to winning ways.

I am expecting them to suffer a second consecutive home defeat but I think they have the quality to grab at least one consolation goal. Sunderland may have only conceded nine goals this term but I don't think their defence is as strong as some of their rivals', so I think we will see Preston get on the scoresheet here.

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 Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.