Preston North End vs Watford Prediction: Preston are looking into playoffs

Preston North End will welcome Watford at Deepdale Stadium in Game Week 22 of the English Championship. Preston are looking to get into playoff spots. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Ryan Lowe is facing challenges as he tries to keep Preston in the playoff race, as they have experienced two separate three-game losing streaks since September. Despite losing momentum, Preston has managed to win three of their recent Championship matches. They secured a 3-1 victory against Huddersfield Town in their most recent game, which extended their improvement on the road to seven points from four matches. However, they need to improve their performance at home, as they have only won once in their last six games at Deepdale. Assuming there are no injuries, it is likely that Lowe will select the same Preston XI that won against Huddersfield. Some key players were rested towards the end of that game, making it unnecessary to make many changes for the upcoming match. However, there are several options available in defense, midfield, and on the flank, such as Andrew Hughes, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, and Robbie Brady. The only two players who may not be able to play are Milutin Osmajic and Emil Riis.

Woodman; Storey, Whatmough, Lindsay; Potts, Whiteman, Browne, Millar; Holmes; Evans, Keane

Watford has faced setbacks in their recent matches at home against both Southampton and Ipswich Town. Although they managed to score a late equalizer against Southampton, they are now in 12th place and five points behind the playoff spots. While Valerien Ismael may not be too worried about their recent results, he understands the importance of getting a positive result on Saturday to stay in contention for the top six.

Despite their defeat to Ipswich, it is unlikely that Watford will make major changes to their starting lineup, if any at all. They performed well in that match. Tom Ince, Matheus Martins, and Vakoun Bayo are options in the attacking third, but the defense and midfield are expected to remain the same. Goalkeeper Ben Hamer is also likely to keep his place over Daniel Bachmann.

Hamer; Andrews, Porteous, Hoedt, Lewis; Kone, Livermore, Kayembe; Asprilla, Rajovic, Sema

Despite recent inconsistencies, both teams are confident in their ability to secure a victory in the North-West. However, in what promises to be an entertaining match, we predict that Preston will win by a narrow margin of one goal in a less than a 2.5-goal game.