English League One
2011-10-19 - Preston North End vs Sheffield United
A Sports Betting Pick by ArmchairPunter
Football – England – League One
Wednesday 19th October 2011 – Kickoff: 1945hrs
Following two consecutive defeats, hosts Preston North End will be glad to get back to familiar surroundings of their Deepdale Stadium to take on a stuttering Sheffield United team on Wednesday night.
Preston North End
Preston have recently suffered defeats at Leyton Orient 1-2 and Walsall 0-1, so will be glad to be back at home where they’ve recorded some solid results and their record reflects this; 4-0-1 11/8, and have beaten Exeter City, Notts County, Yeovil Town and Tranmere Rovers on home turf and seem to have put their opening home defeat to Colchester United behind them.
Manager Phil Brown now has the experience of Neil Mellor (7 goals, 2 assists) and forward Jamie Proctor (2 goals, 4 assists), Iain Hume (4 goals, 2 assists) and experienced solid midfielders Barry Nicholson (2 goals, 2 assists), Graham Alexander and ex-Cardiff City provider Paul Parry.
Looking at the recent head-to-heads also, Preston are unbeaten in their last five at home against Sheffield United, enjoying the last two encounters as they won 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.
Sheffield United
Promotion candidates Sheffield United have faltered in recent weeks, recording just one win in their last five matches, following a great start of seven matches unbeaten.
Manager Danny Wilson now has the job of lifting his players again and put together another unbeaten run prior to the Christmas and New Year schedule, but his task won’t be an easy one in a league that is being dubbed ‘the new Championship’ and facing teams such as Preston who are looking for a swift return to the second tier.
That said, the Blades’ away record has been pretty steady so far and had been unbeaten prior to their loss at Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 back at the end of September. A defeat to Charlton and a derby draw against Sheffield Wednesday later, they now travel across to Lancashire to take on a Preston side who are solid at home.
United’s away record stands at 2-2-1 5/3, and their key personnel include the likes of striker Richard Cresswell (3 goals, 3 assists), former Derby County forward Chris Porter (2 goals, 1 assist) and Irish midfielder Stephen Quinn (1 goal, 4 assists).
The Betting Verdict :
Both teams will be keen to get back to winning ways in this fixture, but I do feel that Preston just have the edge over their opponents tonight, not just because they have home advantage, but I think maybe the pressure and expectation of automatic promotion may just be weighing on Sheffield United right now.
Preston to sneak it 2-1, but will cover with the round ball (AH+0) as strange things seem to happen in midweek matches ...
The Pick :
Preston 2-1 Sheffield Utd
BEST BETTING TIP :
Value Pick :Consider Preston North End to win @ 2.38 at Ladbrokes
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Main Pick :
Take Preston North End AH+0 @ 1.65 at bet365 which returns your stake back in full in the event of a draw.
Take Preston North End AH+0 @ 1.65 at bet365 which returns your stake back in full in the event of a draw.
