Southampton vs Preston North End Prediction: Saints in contention for top two spots

Southampton will welcome Preston North End at St. Mary's Stadium in Game Week 36 of the English Championship. Saints are in contention for top two spots. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Southampton faced another potential loss at the hands of Birmingham City last weekend after suffering three consecutive defeats in all competitions, going into halftime behind 2-1. However, they staged an impressive comeback to secure a 4-3 victory, with Joe Aribo scoring the winning goal in the 96th minute after Birmingham's Dion Sanderson was sent off. Manager Russell Martin was pleased with the win but emphasized the need for defensive improvements after conceding 10 goals in their last four matches. Despite their defensive woes, Southampton is currently in fourth place in the Championship table, just five points behind second-placed Ipswich Town. They are also eight points behind leaders Leicester City, who have lost their last three league games. While Southampton has lost their last two home league matches, they have been unbeaten in their last three meetings with Preston, winning their last encounter 3-1 in February 2009.

Bazunu; Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Bednarek, Manning; Smallbone, Downes, S. Armstrong; Brooks, A. Armstrong, Adams

Since their 2-1 defeat at Leeds United in late January, Preston North End has gone on an impressive seven-game unbeaten streak in the Championship, boosting their chances of securing a top-six finish in the league for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Following a comfortable 3-0 win against Coventry City, they played out a goalless draw with sixth-placed Hull City at Deepdale. Despite the missed penalty call in their last match, manager Ryan Lowe can take pride in his team's solid defensive performance with back-to-back clean sheets against playoff contenders. Preston is now looking ahead to a promising set of upcoming matches, including a match against struggling Southampton and five games against lower-ranked teams in the table. The Lilywhites will aim to secure three consecutive away wins without conceding a goal, although facing Southampton may present a challenge as they have struggled against relegated Premier League teams, conceding eight goals in four previous encounters.

Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, Whiteman, McCann, Millar; Frokjaer-Jensen; Riis, Keane

With an average of 3.9 goals scored in their last seven competitive matches, it is likely that Wednesday's game between these two teams will be an exciting and high-scoring contest. Both teams are looking to secure three points, but we predict that Southampton will be motivated to capitalize on recent mistakes from Leicester and Leeds and secure a victory at home.