Preston North End vs Blackpool Prediction: Blackpool's defeat against Coventry can lower their confidence

On Saturday afternoon, Preston North End will be hosting their North-West rivals, Blackpool, fully aware that they must secure all three points to stay in the race for promotion. Currently sitting in the 12th position in the Championship standings, Preston North End is eager to climb up the table. Meanwhile, Blackpool is struggling in the 23rd position, trailing behind by four points, and desperately needs to secure a win to avoid being relegated.

Preston had an unbeaten run of seven matches before their game against Middlesbrough just before the international break, which was crucial to their promotion hopes. However, they suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at the Riverside Stadium, significantly decreasing their chances of securing an unexpected promotion spot. They are currently seven points behind the top six with only eight matches remaining, so Ryan Lowe recognizes that they need to secure victories to keep their hopes alive. Preston's poor home form this season, with only five wins out of 19 matches, has been a major factor in their struggles. However, they have accumulated eight points in their last four games at Deepdale, giving them confidence heading into their next fixture.

Cannon, Parrott, Johnson, Fernandez, Whiteman, Browne, Potts, Hughes, Lindsay, Storey and Woodman

Blackpool seemed to be making some progress under Mick McCarthy, with some impressive victories along the way. For instance, they dominated Queens Park Rangers 6-1 just before their important game with Coventry City prior to the international break. Unfortunately, instead of building on their previous success, they suffered a 4-1 defeat against the Sky Blues, with a crucial goal just before half-time causing them to fall behind once again. McCarthy's priority is now to ensure that his team can secure some points when they play away, but it should be noted that Blackpool has lost all of their last six away games in the second tier.

Rogers, Yates, Hamilton, Dougall, Fiorini, Patino, Lyons, Husband, Nelson, Connolly and Maxwell

Blackpool may have been feeling confident before their defeat against Coventry, and this loss could potentially affect their upcoming game. Although Preston is not known for being high-scoring, we believe that they will have what it takes to beat their opponents at Deepdale. Our prediction for the match is that Preston North End will win against Blackpool, and we expect there to be less than 2.5 goals scored during the game.