CFC with a must-win game against second division side
Premier League vs Championship – that’s the motto in the third round of the FA Cup between Chelsea and Preston North End. Read our betting tips and odds! The hosts are the third most successful club in the oldest soccer competition in the world with eight triumphs
Only Manchester United (12) and Arsenal (14) top this number of successes. The last victory again came in 2018 in the final against the Red Devils and in three of the last four editions of the competition, the Blues have at least made it to the final.
For the upcoming cup match on the island between Chelsea and Preston North End, the forecast is for a home win with at least a two-goal difference.
Chelsea – statistics & current form
The Londoners are playing their first competitive game in 2024 and ended the previous year successfully. In the two final league games against Crystal Palace and Luton Town, the capital city side recorded victories in both cases.
This confirmed the team’s previously improving form: Four of the last five competitive matches ended in success for the Stamford Bridge kickers. The attack in particular has been reliable of late: Chelsea have scored at least two goals in their last five league and cup games.
Against this backdrop and the fact that they now face a lower-ranked opponent, the prediction of more than three goals from the home side in the clash between Chelsea and Preston North End seems even more promising.
Palmer is worth his euros
Cole Palmer is also in particularly good form up front. The 21-year-old scored a brace in the last league game against the Hatters from Luton and set up the third goal in the 3:2 home win. With eight goals in 16 league appearances, the youngster has a 50% goal rate
After a rather dismal two seasons at Manchester City, where he only made sporadic appearances, he has now matured into a permanent fixture at Chelsea. In view of this, Chelsea’s clash against Preston North End is also worth a tip and odds on his next goal celebration.
Moreover, Palmer has already left his mark internationally. Last August, the England Under-21 international scored for the Cityzens in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, saving Manchester from a penalty shoot-out with his goal, which the Champions League winners went on to win against the Andalusians.
Chelsea’s schedule is well filled
For coach Mauricio Pochettino and his team, the next cup game is just a few days away. Chelsea will face Middlesbrough in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
The recent debut of Christopher Nkunku is also pleasing from the hosts’ point of view. The French newcomer from RB Leipzig made his belated Premier League debut around two weeks ago after recovering from injury and scored straight away against Wolverhampton!
Chelsea’s expected line-up:
Petrovic – Disasi – Silva – Colwill – Caicedo – Gusto – Gallagher – Madueke – Palmer – Jackson – Broja
Preston North End – Statistics & current form
The “Lilywhites”, like their opponents, have not yet had to play in the current edition of the FA Cup as representatives of the Championship. In the English lower house, things are not going well for the first English champions.
The dress rehearsal for the clash at Stamford Bridge with Sunderland was lost 2-0 on New Year’s Day and, looking back over the past five rounds, it was the fourth defeat for the Deepdale side (1-0-4). This meagre result means they are now only 14th in the Championship table
Guests are weak defensively
One of the visitors’ shortcomings is their shaky defense: in a league-wide comparison, only Blackburn Rovers and bottom club Rotherham have conceded more goals. However, one of the strengths of coach Ryan Lowe’s squad is their concentrated start in away games.
For example, the Championship’s twelfth-placed side have only conceded three of their 13 away league breaks so far. In attack, the visitors also rely on their Irish duo of William Kean and Alan Browne. The two attackers lead the club’s scoring charts and, with ten goals, have scored almost a third of Preston North End’s 31 goals this season.
Preston North End’s expected line-up:
Woodman – Lindsay – Storey – Hughes – Potts – Browne – McCann – Whiteman – Millar – Frokjear-Jensen – Evans
Chelsea – Preston North End head-to-head / H2H record
The duel has been played twice this millennium. Both matches also took place in the FA Cup and ended in a 3-1 home win for Chelsea in 2002 and a 2-0 away win for the Londoners in 2010
Chelsea – Preston North End betting tip
For the match in the FA Cup between Chelsea and Preston North End, the prediction includes a home win with at least a three-goal difference. As Premier League representatives, the hosts are in a better position against the second division side anyway, but now they also have the home advantage on their side.
The Londoners should not lack motivation in their first competitive match of the new year. What’s more, the underdogs on top are in weak shape
The Championship has seen a string of defeats of late. In contrast, Chelsea finished last year in a much more stable position, winning four of their last five competitive matches in the Premier League and EFL Cup.
On top of that, Christopher Nkunku, a powerful attacking player, has recently returned from injury. Last but not least, the visitors will travel with a chronically shaky defense, whose record of goals conceded in the 24-team Championship is only surpassed by two clubs.
