Burnley vs Preston Prediction

Two sides short on wins, but losing in different ways

Burnley's recent run reads as one win, ten draws and nine losses across their last 20 matches in all competitions, with 23 goals for and 36 against. That's a side that keeps drawing rather than winning, which points to games staying tight rather than one team running away with it.

Burnley: 20 completed matches; Preston: 20 completed matches.

Burnley

20 matches

Win

5% 1 / 20

Draw

50% 10 / 20

Loss

45% 9 / 20

Scored

23

Conceded

36

Difference

-13

Preston

20 matches

Win

5% 1 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

80% 16 / 20

Scored

15

Conceded

43

Difference

-28

Preston's away form and overall recent sample is far bleaker: one win, three draws and sixteen losses in their last 20, with just 15 goals scored against 43 conceded. Recent away trips have been particularly harsh, including a 4-0 loss at Birmingham and a 4-1 defeat at Wrexham, so turning up at Turf Moor with any real confidence looks difficult.

Burnley's draw-heavy pattern suggests another tight scoreline is plausible, but Preston's away numbers make a Preston win hard to back.

Comparative Team Statistics: Burnley vs Preston

Recent meetings favour Preston, but that was a while back

The last two meetings between these sides came last season, with Preston winning 3-0 in the FA Cup and the pair drawing 0-0 in the league. Both of those games were played at Deepdale rather than Turf Moor, so they don't tell us much about how this one might go with Burnley at home.

Given how differently both squads are performing now compared to a year ago, that head-to-head record carries limited weight for this fixture.

Both clubs deep in trouble

Burnley sit 22nd with nine points from 13 games, while Preston are 24th on five points from the same number of matches. Neither side has found anything close to consistency, and both have lost more games than they've won or drawn combined.

This is as close to a straight relegation-zone meeting as the table allows, with both teams needing something from it to ease the pressure.

Goals have been hard to come by for Preston

Preston's top scorer this season is C. Lang, with just three goals in eight appearances, which underlines how short of firepower they've been. That's a modest return for a leading scorer and fits with a side that has struggled to turn games around.

Burnley:

Penalty cards:

J. Laurent x 1 x 2

Preston:

Best scorers:

C. Lang - 3

Penalty cards:

H. Clarke x 4

J. Thompson x 3

A few players on both sides have picked up yellow cards this season, including Clarke and Thompson for Preston and Laurent for Burnley, though nothing here points to suspensions for this specific fixture.