EFL pundit issues Preston North End prediction as Middlesbrough and Bristol City await
PNE resume their Championship campaign at Deepdale this weekend
Preston North End could well be in for another positive month in the Championship.
That is the view of ‘Not The Top 20’ co-host Ali Maxwell, with the Lilywhites back in action this weekend at home to league leaders, Middlesbrough. Paul Heckingbottom’s side have picked up seven points from their first four matches, with home wins against relegated pair Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
PNE were tipped for trouble this year in plenty of the pre-season predicted tables, but their early showings have offered encouragement. And, in the eyes of Maxwell - who covers the EFL in great depth alongside George Elek - there is every opportunity for Preston to build on their start, across the month of September.
On a latest NTT20 episode, Maxwell said: “Preston are quite interesting to me, this month. They have got Middlesbrough at home to start with. Then, they’ve got Derby away - who have started really poorly and it could be a good time to play them, with so many players missing.
“Bristol City at home for PNE and then Hull away, who are looking pretty poor. So, I think there’s a chance that PNE - if what I perceive to have been some encouraging performances in August continue, and (Milutin) Osmajic is still fit and firing - could have another pretty decent month, which I think would be great.”
September opponents in focus for PNE
Middlesbrough will present a difficult first game back for Preston, with Boro having picked up 12 points from 12 so far in the league. Boro have lost some key men in Finn Azaz and Rav van den Berg this summer, but reinvested that cash back into the squad with some eye-catching overseas recruitment.
On top of that, they have added EFL proven players in Callum Brittain, Alfie Jones and, someone who needs no introduction, Alan Browne. A tough test, yes, but North End have relished these matches plenty of times over the years and Heckingbottom’s side will back themselves to compete with anyone on home soil.
Derby away hasn’t yielded too much success over the years for Preston. One thing the PNE boss will want to see is his side compete far better than they did on their last trip to Pride Park, towards the end of last season. They’ll know what they are in for against a John Eustace side and will need to match all of that.
It’s then back to Deepdale after a free midweek, for a game which will see Emil Riis face Preston for the first time after leaving this summer. Bristol City put four past Sheffield United and Hull, so North End will have to be at the races defensively. The two clubs have had some great battles over the years; this could well be another one.
Hull away is another game from last season that left a sour taste. The Lilywhites were not at their best, but left the MKM Stadium aggrieved by refereeing decisions in the eventual 2-1 defeat. It’s not been a great start for the Tigers, but there is more than enough in Sergej Jakirović’s squad to make that a testing assignment for Preston.
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