Preston North End Vs Fulham
Tuesday 10th December 2019 – 19:45 Kick-Off
English Championship
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 4/6
Bookmaker: WilliamHill
English Championship Betting with 22Bet
(All betting odds displayed were correct as of 9th December 2019 at 17:20)
Preview: Both will be keen to avoid following up weekend defeats with another here, making this encounter at Deepdale intriguing between Preston North End and Fulham. For Sky Sports subscribers it is a game that can be seen live.
Preston Vs Fulham Live Stats & Betting Odds
Preston Preview – Deepdale form levels playing field?
From stalking the leaders a few weeks ago to where they find themselves now, which is outside the play-offs and some fourteen points adrift of pacesetters West Brom. This has comfortably been the worst spell of results that manager Alex Neil has endured all season as manager of Preston (7th – W9 D4 L7, GF31 GA25), with a four-match losing run putting a serious dent in their promotion aspirations.
More alarming has been the sharp drop-off in goals. North End are still among the division’s highest scorers this season – only four teams have scored more than their 31 from 20 games – but this is despite failing to score at all throughout this woeful sequence of defeats, losing to nil against Derby (1-0), Hull (4-0), West Brom (0-1) and QPR (2-0). The latter being the most recent, deservedly losing after a very poor performance at Loftus Road (xG: QPR 1.39 – 0.35 PRE).
As fixtures go, this is not the leg up they would have been hoping for. Their opponents are in terrific form and now further up the league table in third, meaning significant improvements on recent displays are urgently required here if a first positive result since beating Huddersfield 3-1 at home on 9th November is to be forthcoming. That being a seventh win from ten home games (W7 D2 L1), which is clearly a very strong record. Can home comforts inspire a revival in fortunes?
Fulham Preview – Mitrovic factor to be the difference?
The Cottagers were enjoying a tremendous bout of form prior to a 2-1 home reverse at the hands of Bristol City on Saturday, as Fulham (3rd – W10 D5 L5, GF32 GA21) suffered a third defeat of the season in West London at Craven Cottage. That is more games lost in front of their own supporters than on their travels, winning the previous two such fixtures against Birmingham City (0-1) and Swansea City (1-2). Will an out-of-form Preston become their third successive away scalp?
Losing on Saturday was a fifth defeat of the season for Fulham. Significantly, there is precedent for them responding well to a setback having not lost successive league games all season. The scoreline against Bristol City was also slightly harsh on them, with Expected Goals suggesting a draw might have been a fairer outcome (xG: FUL 1.97 – 1.90 BRI). Scott Parker’s players had won four consecutive matches before hosting The Robins.
It was another open game last weekend, which typifies this team at present, who do pose a serious threat in attack, especially through Aleksandar Mitrovic with the Serbian on 15 league goals for the season – nobody has managed more so far. Mitrovic has netted all three of his team’s goals across the last two away encounters, including a brace in Swansea. At 13/10 with Ladbrokes to score on Tuesday, Fulham could do with another stellar performance from their No.9 to ensure a swift return to the points trail.
Preston Vs Fulham Key Facts:
- No team has registered more points than Preston (23 – W7 D2 L1) from home games in this season’s EFL Championship.
- Fulham are seeking a third successive league away win after recent triumps away to Birmingham and Swansea.
- Each of the last seven meetings have produced goals for both teams, with Fulham unbeaten across this sequence (W4 D3).
Betting Summary
Both these sides bring recent defeats with them into this fixture, although it is Preston in far dire shape having suffering four of them in a row. Only one was at home, though, where their form (W7 D2 L1) has been exceptional this season: nobody in this division has either collected more points (23) from said matches nor possesses a better goal difference (+14).
Fulham (11/8 Betway) were beaten by Bristol City at home at the weekend, in what was a surprising loss for Scott Parker’s men – their first for five matches having previously racked up four straight league wins. Two of those were away from home meaning The Cottagers will target a third successive away victory here, as a team still third in the table and hellbent on another promotion seek to close the gap on the top two.
Had this been in West London, it would have been difficult finding confidence in this out-of-sorts Preston side. However, being at home levels the playing field, with their record there very impressive. Fulham will, however, cause the home side’s recently-suspect defence problems. Meanwhile, the seven previous meetings between these two sides have produced goals for both. That is a trend we can envisage continuing here.
