Leeds vs Preston North End Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 19/01/2024, 06:00  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 20/01/2024 at 23:00 in Championship Prediction

Sunday’s Championship action will see Leeds United face off against Preston North End at Elland Road. The hosts are currently in fourth place in the league standings, while the visitors are 12th. After a mixed December, which included three wins, three losses and a draw, Leeds have begun 2024 very promisingly. They come into this match off the back of a convincing 3-0 win over Cardiff City last week, which followed a 3-0 win over Birmingham City on New Year’s Day. In between those matches, The Whites also booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a solid win over Peterborough United. Leeds have been immense at home this season. Not only are they still unbeaten at Elland Road, but they have also won nine of their 13 home games and have only failed to score once on their home patch in that time. Defensively, the hosts have conceded just 25 goals this season, which is the second-best record in the top flight. As such, they are the bookmakers’ favourite in this one. 

Meanwhile, Preston had a solid first half of the season and will be looking to pull closer to the top six before the end of the term. They are currently on 38 points after 27 matches which is only two points behind Coventry, who are sat in the final playoff qualification spot. The visitors head into this encounter after beating Bristol City 2-0 last week. However, they failed to win either side of New Year, defeated 1-0 by Sheffield Wednesday and 2-0 by Sunderland in their first match of 2024. In addition, Preston were sent packing from the FA Cup two weeks ago when they were comprehensively beaten by Premier League outfit Chelsea. The Lilywhites did win the reverse fixture 2-1 but are currently on a three-match losing streak on the road and will have to be at their absolute best to get anything from this one.