Preston vs Blackburn Prediction

Right then, let's talk about this Lancashire derby! Preston are flying high in 4th place with 26 points, while Blackburn are having a right old time of it down in 19th with just 16 points. That's a proper 10-point gap between these two, and it shows in their recent form.

Preston have been decent enough lately - 5 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in their last 10. They've had some tasty results like that 2-1 win against Swansea and a cracking 2-0 away win at Southampton. Only two defeats in that run, which isn't bad going. Defensively they've been tidy too, keeping 4 clean sheets in their last 10 games.

Blackburn, on the other hand, have been a bit up and down. 4 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses in their last 10 tells its own story. But here's the thing - they've been surprisingly decent on their travels lately. That 1-0 win at Bristol City and 2-0 at Leicester show they can turn up when they're away from home. They've also had some proper stinkers though, like that 1-3 home loss to Sheffield Utd.

Now here's where it gets interesting - the head-to-head record. Overall it's dead even at 3-3-3, but Preston have been shocking at home against Blackburn historically. 0 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss at home against them. Last time they met, Preston lost 1-2. That's a stat that really catches the eye, isn't it?

Looking at the goal stats, Preston are scoring 1.4 per game and conceding 0.9. Blackburn are scoring 1.0 per game and conceding 1.4. Both teams have seen both teams score in 50% of their recent games, but I reckon this could be different.

Derby games are often tight, cagey affairs, and with Preston being solid at home defensively (only 0.8 goals conceded per game at home) and Blackburn not scoring many away (0.8 goals per game away), this has all the makings of a low-scoring encounter.

The bookies have Preston as slight favorites at 2.55, but given that head-to-head record at home, I'm not so sure. The under 2.5 goals is priced at 1.62, which might just be the value bet here.