Preston North End vs Sheffield Wednesday Prediction: Preston coming off win against Leeds

Preston North End will welcome Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale Stadium in Game Week 25 of the English Championship. Preston is coming off a victory against Leeds United. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Preston's remarkable winning streak of six games at the beginning of the season may now seem like a distant memory, but they proved on Boxing Day that they can still compete with the top teams in the division. Despite being down to ten men after Illan Meslier's foolish hand into Milutin Osmajic's face, Preston managed to secure a victory against Leeds in a chaotic second half.

Alan Browne headed in the game's opening goal just four minutes after Meslier's dismissal. However, a confident penalty from Pascal Struijk threatened to secure a draw for ten-man Leeds. But in the 89th minute, Liam Millar had other plans and scored a stunning goal from the left side, securing Preston's fourth victory in their last 17 Championship matches and ending their disappointing three-game losing streak at home.

The Championship standings are extremely tight, with only one point separating Preston in ninth place from the playoff positions. However, a single defeat could drop them as low as 14th, so every point is crucial at this stage of the season. While the win against Leeds improved Preston's chances of reaching the playoffs, their inability to keep a clean sheet at home remains a concern. They have not kept the opposition from scoring at Deepdale since their 2-0 victory over Cardiff City in March.

Woodman; Lindsay, Whatmough, Hughes; Potts, Whiteman, McCann, Millar; Browne, Holmes; Osmajic

Speaking of teams maintaining a distance, Sheffield Wednesday's offensive power was neutralized when they clashed with last season's playoff finalists Coventry City, as everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for Danny Rohl's team. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scored two goals on either side of halftime, causing significant damage on a day where Sheffield Wednesday also had to deal with Callum Paterson's injury and Bambo Diaby's late red card for a fight with Liam Kitching, who was also sent off for his involvement in the incident. The Owls must put Boxing Day's defeat behind them as they look to move forward in their battle against relegation. Currently, they find themselves in 23rd place, nine points adrift from safety.

Since returning to the second division in the summer, Sheffield Wednesday has been known for their dreadful performances on the road, losing eight of their last nine away matches and managing to score only six goals on their opponents' turf so far. Only Rotherham United has an equally dismal offensive record. Furthermore, Sheffield Wednesday has suffered defeat in four of their last five encounters with Preston, including a 1-0 loss at Hillsborough this summer. Moreover, the Owls have only emerged as victors in one of their previous 23 league games away at Friday's hosts.

Dawson; Palmer, Ihiekwe, Bernard, Famewo; Bannan, Vaulks, Bakinson; Musaba, Cadamarteri, Johnson

Due to Paterson's injury and Diaby's suspension, the Sheffield Wednesday team, which was already struggling away from home, is likely to face yet another disappointing match on Friday. In contrast, despite their recent lack of consistency, Preston may have a chance to receive a late Christmas present in the form of their first clean sheet at home in the 2023-24 season. Additionally, favorable outcomes in other matches could potentially propel them back into the playoff positions.