Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
Norwich City lead the hosts by nearly 10 league places, but is their victory really that certain? Preston North End have found form and are expected to put up a strong fight against a team that was recently in the Premier League.
Preston North End
Preston North End have climbed to 15th place midway through autumn, and they've almost forgotten how to lose. Three of their four defeats were back in the summer. In their last six games, only Millwall prevented them from picking up points (1:3), but that was in London. At home, they are indeed indomitable: following a first-round defeat to Sunderland (0:2), who have proven to be the Championship's surprise package, they have had no losses with three wins, one draw, and not a single goal conceded.
Norwich City
Norwich City are one of the few teams adept at picking up points away: two wins, a draw, and two losses. Notably, they sit sixth in the away standings, even higher than in the overall table. Are Preston North End stronger than Derby County and Coventry City, both of whom the team have beaten away? Only Derby are positioned higher (12th), but they are experiencing a slump with just one win in their last five matches. As mentioned, Preston's situation is quite the opposite.
Preston North End vs Norwich City Prediction
We’re unsure why Norwich City are favoured more. Is it because of the last three matches between them, in which Preston North End failed to score and lost twice? But those were under a different manager. Backing the hosts to win comes with risk, so we'll opt for a more reliable bet.
