Next up is a top eight clash in the Championship when 7th placed Preston North End play host to 8th placed Swansea City at Deepdale with both teams eager to break into the play-off pack in the Championship and a precious three points at stake for both sides.
Preston will head into this clash looking to pick up a third league win on the trot having previously despatched the likes of Charlton Athletic and Barnsley in 2-1 and 3-0 wins respectively, so the hosts will be confident that they can make home advantage count in this encounter.
The hosts have lost just 3 of their 15 matches to date at Deepdale but in recent times things haven’t all gone the way of Preston as Alex Neil’s side have suffered recent defeats to Reading and Middlesbrough which had threatened to compromise their play-off plans.
Preston got back on track with a 2-1 win over Charlton to steady the ship but they’ll be up against a reasonably consistent Swansea side here, and with 10 of Preston’s 15 home matches seeing both teams score, the goals market may appeal here.
Swansea City sit just one league position and 1 point below their Saturday’s hosts, Preston North End, as the visitors look to bounce back from their recent 2-0 defeat away from home against a rejuvenated Stoke City outfit.
The Swans had previously put together a promising 4-match unbeaten run in the Championship which included wins against Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic along with points gained in draws with Barnsley and Cardiff City.
Indeed, prior to the Stoke defeat, Swansea had lost just 1 of their previous 8 matches which came in the shape of a heavy 3-1 loss at Griffin Park against Brentford, and it’s been on the road where Swansea have been at their most vulnerable in recent weeks.
With just 1 away win out of their last 7 matches on their travels, Swansea look far from guaranteed in taking all three points against a reasonably consistent Preston side at Deepdale, so perhaps the goal angle is a more suitable option where the visitors are concerned too.
8 of Swansea’s 14 away matches have resulted with both teams scoring, while 3 of the last 4 meetings between these two have also seen both teams hit the back of the net.