- Team form: West Bromwich have gone five Championship matches unbeaten (Won 2, drawn 3) in 2025-2026.
- Recent form: Preston North End have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five Championship fixtures.
- Head-to-head: Preston North End have failed to win their last two Championship home matches against West Bromwich (Drawn 1, lost 1).
Draw the smart bet for baggy green clash
West Bromwich Albion are undefeated in their last five Championship contests, drawing three straight in the last week to follow up a pair of wins, and they haven't lost to Preston North End in their last two attempts. And there’s a chance that Albion’s recent improvement may go awry against a solid Preston side that have failed to win their last two home matches against West Bromwich.
West Brom are 20th in the Championship table with 46 points from 42 games, 11 adrift of the Lancashire hosts who are 13th with 57 points. Paul Heckingbottom has done a solid job at Preston North End since taking charge in August 2024 and his side are a well-organized, structured team.
PNE look better for the draw
Preston's system and threats
Preston play with a back three, wing-backs who get forward and a compact defensive block that can be very tough to break down. They will look to suffocate teams in possession and strike quickly on the counter-attack.
Alfie Devine is their main goal threat, scoring eight goals in 41 appearances this season, but Lewis Dobbin, who has provided three assists in the Lilywhites’ last five games, can be a creative spark on his day.
West Brom's approach under Morrison
West Brom, by contrast, have tried to play a possession-based, high-tempo game with pressing and overloads in the wide areas under James Morrison, who took over in February 2026 after a period of turmoil on Albion’s coaching staff.
Visitors have an identity but can still get bogged down
Recent results and scorers
The results haven’t been too bad in the 5 matches since Morrison took charge but an identity seems to be eluding them still. Aune Selland Heggeboe is their leading scorer with 9 goals in 42 games and Josh Maja has chipped in with 2 in their last 5.
Home and away form
- West Bromwich have won only 4 and lost 13 of their 21 away games in the Championship this season, scoring just 17 goals on their travels.
- Preston are solid at home, having lost 6 of 21 home games in the league this term, winning 8 and drawing 7.
- They have averaged 1.29 goals per game at Deepdale.
Prediction
Given Albion’s improvement on the road of late, with 1 win and 1 draw from their last 2, it looks like a draw is the best bet for the game. Both teams have been solid of late and it is more likely that two draws will cancel out than for either side to win this clash.
A cagey game with few clear opportunities is likely, which should suit a defensive Preston team more than a West Brom side that will try to control possession. A draw with under 2.5 goals seems most likely.
