Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
Both clubs have five points each and languish at the bottom of the table, but Preston North End have been far less clinical in converting their chances, placing them lower than their opponents. Will Millwall's attack prevail once again?
Millwall
After the two thrilling opening matches for Millwall in the Championship, which saw a total of 12 goals scored, the scoring rate has drastically dropped. It appears that Neil Harris was not fond of those roller-coaster games. In the following four matches, one of the teams kept a clean sheet, and Millwall only managed that feat in two of them. In their last match against Queens Park Rangers, the goal drought didn't affect either side (1:1), but Millwall should have won—their shot difference (16 (5)-7 (2)) and expected goals (1.87-0.85 xG) were more than twice as high as their opponents.
Preston North End
Last weekend, Preston managed to stop Blackburn Rovers from scoring, keeping the scoreboard blank. It's not surprising they didn't score themselves—they had already done the same in the first two rounds. How did Preston achieve this? Fortunate circumstances played a role. In the 42nd minute, Blackburn's attacking midfielder Sam Greenwood was shown a red card, forcing the hosts to sit back, and the dangerous moments at their goal nearly vanished: Blackburn created chances worth 0.73 xG before halftime, but only 0.10 xG after.
Millwall vs Preston North End Prediction
Everything points to this being a low-scoring match, with one of the teams keeping a clean sheet. Two bets—one that at least one team won't score and another for the total under 2.5—have won in six out of eight matches for Millwall across all competitions and in six out of nine for Preston North End.
