'I struggle to see' - EFL pundits issue Preston North End, Wrexham and Sheffield United play-off verdicts
PNE are fourth in the Championship table after 26 games
Preston North End have been tipped to secure a play-off spot this season by one regular EFL pundit.
Not The Top 20 co-host, George Elek, believes the Lilywhites will have the staying power to clinch a top six place. It would be the first time PNE have done so since 2009. Paul Heckingbottom’s side occupy fourth spot in the table heading into their 27th match of the campaign, at home to Derby County.
Speaking on the latest NTT20 episode, Elek said: “Preston and Millwall are right there. Can they do this? With every passing week it seems like it’s more likely. I have kind of come down on the idea that Millwall are the ones I struggle to see maintaining this.
“A team who, from 26 games, have scored 29 goals and conceded 33 with a goal difference of -4, but managed to pick up 43 points... can that continue? I just think it is so statistically improbable. So, I have got Millwall out of it. I have got Preston in there.
“They still have to go to Coventry, Ipswich and Boro away from home, which is not easy albeit they didn’t lose to any of those three at home. They face a lot of the bottom half at home, which are the games they’ve been in very strong in.
“From an attacking perspective, they are a good team. They are a team where I struggle to see why they won’t continue to be a solid, play-off chasing side in terms of PPG. I think in Heckingbottom, certainly as a manager when a team is built under him, they tend to do pretty well. This is all a hunch; it’s a case of one or two points here and there.”
Blades tipped to join PNE
Both Elek and co-host, Ali Maxwell, have tipped Sheffield United to rise up the table and clinch a play-off place. Elek has gone with Middlesbrough, Watford, PNE and the Blades while Maxwell has opted for Middlesbrough, Watford, Sheffield United and Wrexham. Both have Coventry City and Ipswich Town in the top two.
Maxwell said: “We’ve both got Blades in there... nine points off it but they are really good at the moment. They are winning loads of games, doing so with a foundation of really strong performances. That’s been backed up by points - the most in the league over the last 10 games.
“We know it is not insurmountable. There are so many parallels with Coventry last season. (Chris) Wilder has had a similar impact post-Ruben Selles. Coventry made up 11 points in 20 games; leagues are not the same every year but it serves to suggest that it does not rule them out of making the play-offs.
“Right now, probably high on recency, I am going with Wrexham to make the play-offs. This is the most non-data pick of all time, because Wrexham are not posting good numbers. But, trying to judge them by my preferred method of analysing teams hasn’t worked with Wrexham for three years now.
“They have slightly broken the game in my brain. I have to look at them and think that intangible stuff is a big reason for that, and the fact they just keep upgrading their squad every window. Wrexham build a good squad and it took them a while to get going, but they have done that.
“I think it is likely they will make another big signing or two. They just keep on rolling and I am tired of backing against Wrexham, because it has not gone well for me so far. I will throw my weight behind them. I think they genuinely might nick sixth spot in this crazy league.”