Preston vs Burnley Prediction: 11 clean sheets in a row?

There will be no love lost between Lancashire rivals Preston North End and Burnley when the pair meet on Saturday lunchtime (12:30, Sky Sports Football). After the Valentine’s Day romanticism, it’s good to have a dose of football hatred to bring us back down to earth with a bump.

Scott Parker’s men are looking to keep pace with Leeds and Sheffield United, and will need three points here to put the pressure on the top two. Below you can find my Preston vs Burnley predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Duane Holmes sadly broke his leg in midweek at Norwich after a mistimed Shane Duffy challenge, and he will be out for the rest of the season as a result. Jack Whatmough and Jordan Storey are also out, while Ben Whiteman has an ankle problem.

Robbie Brady has been struggling with a back issue but Paul Heckingbottom confirmed both he and Emil Riis Jakobsen would return to his PNE squad this weekend. Brad Potts replaced Holmes at Carrow Road and could start here, or Sam Greenwood could come in as a more adventurous attacking option. 

Football Odds

For Burnley, Josh Brownhill picked up a knock at the end of January and hasn’t played since. He is likely to miss out again, with Mike Tresor and Luca Koleosho also struggling with injuries. It has opened the door for Lyle Foster to play on the left, and he should start again after performing well in midweek. 

The defence picks itself having kept 10 clean sheets on the bounce, with James Trafford starting behind Bashir Humphreys, Maxime Esteve, CJ Egan-Riley and Conor Roberts. The best back four this league has ever seen? Quite possibly. 

Preston vs Burnley Odds

Preston are available at 11/4 to win this game which would mark their seventh home success at Deepdale, while Burnley can be backed at 11/10 to add to the 32 points they have amassed on the road. 

A draw is 11/5 while over 2.5 goals is 7/4 having only come in during 19% of Burnley matches this term. BTTS is 5/4, while Zian Flemming is the 11/2 favourite to open the scoring and add to the seven goals he has bagged in the league this term.

Burnley to keep a clean sheet @ 11/10

It’s a simple selection, but one that makes complete sense. I think 11/10 for Burnley to keep a clean sheet offers terrific value given what we have seen in recent weeks. No team in the Championship had ever kept 10 league clean sheets in a row until Parker’s Burnley turned up.

They are record-breakers, and well on-track to concede the fewest goals ever at this level. It’s now over 950 minutes since Trafford last conceded a goal and they’ve still only let nine goals in over 32 Championship fixtures. It’s one of the greatest Championship achievements we’ve ever seen and if they keep up this level of frugalness, surely they will be in the Premier League next term. 

They should be able to keep another clean sheet up against a PNE side that haven’t been full of goals this term.

Zian Flemming to score first and Burnley to win 2-0 @ 40/1 

Flemming has been in fine form for Burnley since taking the number nine spot, and having scored in the 2-0 win over Hull City in midweek, I’m happy to back him to find the opener at Deepdale. I believe the top four teams in this division are a class above the rest, and Burnley should win this one fairly comfortably. 

I’ve already explained my reasoning for them to keep a clean sheet, so let’s also back them to secure a 2-0 victory. If Flemming finds the net first, we could be onto a big winner this Saturday lunchtime. 

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