- Preston North End have won the last two meetings in this Championship 2025-2026 campaign, including a 2-0 victory at home six months ago.
- Charlton Athletic have been in poor form recently, with just 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses from their last 5 matches.
- Charlton have lost each of their last two home games, against Norwich City and Bristol City.
Lilywhites are hard to break down
The Addicks are the side in greater danger of going down on Saturday, sitting 18th in the Championship table with 49 points from 41 games, while Preston are in 14th with 54 points from the same amount of matches. Paul Heckingbottom leads Preston, instilling a compact, vertical style of play that is built on disciplined defending and a counter-attacking approach.
The Lilywhites’ style of football suits their personnel and Heckingbottom’s tactical tweaks this season have made Preston a very difficult side to beat as they are a hard, organised team that can grind out results against mid-table teams like Charlton. Their attack is also boosted by some hard-working wing-backs that can get forward and create danger, either by running at players or by overlapping to provide width.
The Addicks have a similar approach to the game in that they are a pragmatic, structure-first team that looks to get men behind the ball, make transitions and break with numbers. Nathan Jones has built a side that is very difficult to break down, focusing on results rather than possession.
Flank battles will be key
The clash of wide runners and overlapping full backs in Jones’ preferred 4-2-3-1 shape against a back three and two wing-backs in Preston’s preferred formation should see some interesting battles on the flanks and second balls won or conceded be the key to this one. Charlton’s top scorer, Sonny Carey, has eight Championship goals, more than any of his teammates, and is an important outlet in the wide areas.
Preston North End’s Alfie Devine is also on eight goals, but only two in his last five games, so he could be a good shout for an anytime goal. He’s our pick in the anytime scorer market, but with Charlton's recent form poor and Preston having drawn their last two matches and being winless in their last three away games, we’re going for the Lilywhites to snatch all three points at 9/4.
Both teams can register in close affair
Both sides can score in this one, as Charlton are capable of breaking down any defence with a bit of clever play in the final third and Preston are capable of getting a few away goals. The odds for Both Teams to Score - Yes are 17/20, but we’re leaning towards an Under 2.5 goals selection at 7/10 for what should be a cagey, tense affair in which Preston can nick a victory.
