Leeds United will look to take one step closer to the Premier League when they host Preston North End on Saturday.
The Elland Road club got their promotion campaign back on track against Middlesbrough on Tuesday. A 1-0 win ended a run of three successive draws.
This had allowed Burnley and Sheffield United to seize the initiative, but Leeds enter this weekend’s fixtures at the top of the Championship.
However, they are level on points with Burnley, who face Norwich in the Friday evening game. This means by the time of this match, Leeds may be playing catch-up.
Preston won’t make it easy as they need a few more points to guarantee Championship survival. They are 16th entering this weekend, seven points above the drop zone.
LEEDS VS PRESTON PREVIEW
Preston have become something of a bogey team for Leeds of late. They have only lost one of their last five encounters. However, three of these have been 1-1 draws, including the reverse fixture this season.
When the teams met at Deepdale, a Jack Whatmough’s own goal deep into stoppage time gifted Leeds a point. A Brad Potts goal had given the home side the lead in the 23rd minute and they had defended doggedly from then.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Leeds beat Preston 2-1. Again, Leeds left it late. A stoppage time penalty from Joel Piroe gave the Yorkshire side the win. Will Keane had opened the scoring for Preston inside two minutes, with Leeds equalising through a Dan James header shortly afterwards.
James is unlikely to play for Leeds this time around, having limped off at Middlesbrough with a hamstring injury. His absence will be a huge blow as he has scored in Leeds United’s last two games and has featured in every match in the Championship this season.
Pascal Struijk is out with the foot injury he sustained last week against Luton. He won’t be back for the rest of the season.
Joe Rothwell injured his calf in training and is likely to miss the next three weeks.
Forward Sam Greenwood is ineligible to face his parent club, so he won’t feature for Preston. He has scored eight goals in 36 appearances and will be a big miss.
Freddie Woodman, Jack Whatmough and Ali McCann are all out injured, with Woodman likely to miss the rest of the season. He suffered ankle ligament damage during the international break. Whatmough and McCann are both out with calf injuries.
LEEDS VS PRESTON – PREDICTIONS
Leeds United Win
Leeds broke their three-game winless streak by defeating Middlesbrough midweek and will hope to utilise home advantage against an average Preston outfit. Last season’s fixture at Elland Road saw Leeds claim a last-gasp win.
Draw
Three of the last five games between the two sides have ended in 1-1 draws. This includes the reverse fixture earlier this season. Before beating Middlesbrough, Leeds had drawn three games in a row. If Preston draw against Leeds in this match, it will be their third straight draw.
Preston Win
Preston beat Leeds at Elland Road 2-0 in the League Cup back in August 2018, while there has been little between the two sides in the past five encounters. However, Preston haven’t won on the road since defeating Norwich 1-0 on 11 February.
LEEDS VS PRESTON – BETTING TIPS
Leeds United Win
It’s hard to look beyond Leeds. They have been the most impressive team in the Championship this season and I expect home advantage to work in their favour here. They have the greater need for points as Preston’s season pretty much ended when they got dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa last month. Leeds have scored 80 goals this season – by far and away the most of any side in the Championship – and although Preston’s defence is decent, it probably won’t hold out.
Both Teams To Score
Leeds are scoring for fun, but Preston are averaging more than a goal a game themselves (44 goals from 41 games). Leeds have conceded 28 goals this season, while the last five games between the two sides have seen both teams score. Furthermore, both teams have scored in four of Preston’s last five Championship games and three of Leeds’ last five. Adding all this up, I’m expecting the same here.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Leeds United and Preston have met on 64 occasions, with Leeds winning 23. Preston have won 26, while there have been 15 draws.
- Leeds have only beaten Preston once in their last five meetings, a 2-1 win in this fixture last season.
- The two sides have drawn 1-1 in three of their last five encounters, including earlier this season at Deepdale.
- Before defeating Middlesbrough on Wednesday, Leeds had drawn their previous three Championship games.
- Leeds have scored 80 Championship goals this season, 18 more than Norwich, who are second in the goalscoring list.
- Preston have drawn their last two games, 1-1 against Stoke and 2-2 against Cardiff.
