ENG. CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING PREVIEW - PRESTON NE VS WATFORD

Eng. Championship

2026-02-14 - Preston NE vs Watford

A Sports Betting Preview by ArmchairPunter

Preston NE v Watford
Football : England: Championship
Venue: Deepdale
Saturday 14th February 2026, 1500hrs (GMT)

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Preston NE rekindled their play-off ambitions with a 1-0 home win against Portsmouth last weekend in the Championship which helped lift Paul Heckingbottom’s side into 7th place in the table and level on points with 6th placed Wrexham.

Preston had previously endured a five-match winless run in all competitions as the hosts had slipped to three losses on the trot in the Championship at the hands of Derby County, Hull City and Middlesbrough respectively, as well as a preceding 1-0 defeat at home to Lancashire rivals Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

Saturday afternoon’s hosts will be keen to build upon last week’s win though at Deepdale against a mid-table Watford outfit whose form has declined in dramatic fashion in recent weeks.

Watford occupy 12th place in the Championship table as the visitors’ claims for a play-off spot have for the time being thrown out of the window having failed to win any of their last seven matches overall.

The Hornets had previously been well and truly buzzing under former coach Javi Gracia as the visitors had put together a decent looking seven-game unbeaten sequence in the Championship which consisted of five wins and two draws.

However, Gracia has since resigned following a 2-0 defeat at home to Swansea City, one of four defeats within Watford’s last seven matches, while an away record of 3-6-6 15/19 is hardly inspiring ahead of this tough looking trip to Deepdale on Saturday afternoon.

The Betting Verdict

Two of the last three meetings between Preston NE and Watford have resulted in Over 2.5 goals and the goals market looks inviting once again here.

The Pick :

Preston NE 2-1 Watford

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Over 2.5 goals at odds of 2.20 with Bet365