Weekend betting: Preston North End’s odds to get off to winning start against Hull City

Football fans up and down the country have been waiting for this weekend for a long time.

And with fans now allowed back on their favourite stomping grounds, its going to make them opening football bets of the season all that more special.

Is there ever a better time to celebrate a winning accumulator, than in the pub after seeing your side get three points?

North End start the campaign at home to newly promoted Hull City at Deepdale.

It is always extremely hard to be confident in backing any side in the opening couple of weeks, with new players and unknown quantities in terms of promoted and relegated sides.

I always say you can’t read anything into pre-season, which is just as well because Preston haven’t exactly set the world alight.

They have been given some respect by the bookies and priced at 6/4 which isn’t massive value, given the bounce effect Hull will no doubt be experiencing after winning League One in some style last season.

I do just about think the North End are worth backing, though, given they are back at Deepdale in front of fans, and with Frankie McAvoy determined to play more positive football than his predecessor, I think they could edge it, so they are going in the weekend treble.

f you want a correct score to whet the appetite, the 8/1 on a 2-1 home win gets the vote, whilst I will give midfielder Ben Whiteman the nod for a first goalscorer bet at 12/1.

Mick McCarthy got Cardiff playing decent football last season and ran out of time in their quest for the play-offs and I fancy them to have a good go this season.

They start the campaign at home to Barnsley, last season’s surprise package, who have since lost their manager. At 5/4 Cardiff are in the treble.

To complete the Saturday treble, I am backing another Lancashire side, Blackburn, to get their season off to a winning start. They are priced at around 11/10 which looks short enough though Swansea have been hit by players such as Marc Guehi moving on and could be a weaker side this season. The treble pays a tasty 10/1.

It’s the Rose of Lancaster Stakes (16:10) at Haydock and Jim Goldie’s EUCHEN GLEN looks to have every chance at around 5/1.