Preston North End and Watford will fight on Saturday to continue their unbeaten starts to the Championship season when they do battle at Deepdale with kickoff at 5 pm.
Under the management of Ryan Lowe, Preston North End has made a good start to the Championship season. They remain unbeaten after four games, and their defensive record is a highlight: they are the only side in England’s second tier yet to concede a league goal.
Their term began with a trip to Lancashire rivals Wigan Athletic, with the game ending in a 0-0 draw; another 0-0 draw followed this at home to Hull City. Lowe’s side then found their shooting boots in an EFL Cup first-round clash with Huddersfield Town, winning 4-1 thanks to Ali McCann’s brace and goals from Troy Parrott and Brad Potts.
Following the appointment of Rob Edwards as manager over the summer, Watford aimed to earn promotion straight back to the Premier League and made a winning start at home to Sheffield United as Joao Pedro scored the only goal of the game in the second half.
The Hornets then drew 1-1 away at fellow promotion-hopefuls West Bromwich Albion, with Ismaila Sarr failing from the penalty spot after his eye-catching opener from inside the Watford half; they then returned to winning ways against Burnley.
Preston North End vs Watford Head to Head
Both sides have 13 games against each other, with hosts taking five wins while visitors with four wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Preston North End 0-0 Rotherham United
- Luton Town 0-1 Preston
- Huddersfield Town 1-4 Preston
- Preston 0-0 Hull City
Away
- Birmingham City 1-1 Watford
- Watford 0-1 Burnley
- West Brom 1-1 Watford
- Watford 0-1 Sheffield United
Preston North End Team News
Preston North End’s Bambo Diaby and Daniel Johnson will both miss Saturday’s game with Rotherham through injury. Without Johnson, who was forced off against Rotherham, Ben Whiteman and Alan Browne will play key roles in the central unit, with Brad Potts offering an additional threat from out wide.
Watford Team News
Joao Pedro should keep his place in attack, while Rey Manaj will hope that his goal off the bench last time out is enough to earn him a place in the starting XI. Keinan Davis and Sam Surridge are also vying for starting spots after earning their first minutes in that game following loans from Aston Villa and Bournemouth, respectively.
Prediction and Odds
Watford’s squad is arguably stronger than Preston’s, although their opponents have yet to concede a goal this season. Saturday’s match against Watford will certainly not be an easy victory for Preston.
- Away Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- First Half: 0-0
