- Stoke are the form team with three wins, one draw, and one defeat from their last five games.
- Preston are in poor form with no wins, two draws, and three defeats from their last five matches.
- Preston have won once and drawn once in their last two head-to-head meetings with Stoke, beating the Potters 3-1 at home in the Championship 2025/2026 season.
Preston have an uphill task against the Potters
Stoke are the clear favourites here at 7/10, but Graham
Alexander's Preston are an organised and disciplined outfit that will look to cause problems on the counter-attack. The Lilywhites are 24th in the Championship 2026/2027 table with just five points from 12 games and the table doesn't lie, this is a bad Preston team in poor form.
The Lilywhites are without a win in their last three away games, with a 4-1 defeat away to Wrexham and a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion last time out. Johnny Kenny has provided Preston's most potent spark in the last few games with two goals in five, but Alexander's men have only scored 0.83 goals per game on average away from home in the Championship 2026/2027.
Stoke are ninth in the table with 20 points from 12 matches so they're definitely the better side on paper ahead of Saturday's game. Mark Robins has improved the team no end this season and they're playing in a proactive, possession-based side now with plenty of width and better final-third purpose.
Tight game expected at the Bet365 Stadium
Ethan Galbraith has been Stoke's danger man in the Championship 2026/2027 with three goals in eight matches, but he also serves up many of the chances from his midfield position. His three assists have contributed to Stoke's goals, so back him to get at Preston's defence on Saturday.
Under 2.5 goals at 19/20 looks a live bet for this one as these are two teams with contrasting systems which should keep this game tactical. Robins' preferred 3-back system is designed to overload the wings and stretch opponents, while Alexander's low-possession shape is designed to stay compact and break quickly. The wing-back battles will be key and, while Stoke are the favourites here, Preston's set-up and recent head-to-head results could see them keep this a lot closer than the odds suggest.
The hosts have failed to win their last two home games against Preston and, although they've been in much better form recently, that tag should be a bit of a warning sign. We're taking Stoke to just edge this one out as Preston are going to be chasing this game and the hosts have the quality and resolve to shut the visitors out. A 1-0 scoreline is our main prediction as Stoke have conceded just six times at home at an average of 1.00 per game.
