- Ipswich won the reverse fixture 4-2 in October
- Preston have four defeats in their last six at home
- Recommended bet: Ipswich

Ipswich were on the wrong end of an FA Cup upset last weekend as they suffered a humbling 2-1 defeat at home to sixth tier Maidstone and they need to put that result behind them as they return to league action this weekend.

The Tractor Boys sit second in the table going into the latest round of fixtures. but they may have dropped out of the top two by the time they face Preston on Saturday as Leeds are in action on Friday.

North End are in 12th spot, but are still in the mix for promotion as they are only five points adrift of the top six, although they head into this game in poor form with just one win from their last six games across all competitions.

Team news

Ipswich made wholesale changes for the cup tie with Maidstone and a host of regular starters will return at Deepdale, with Conor Chaplin and Kayden Jackson among those likely to be recalled.’

January loan arrival Jeremy Sarmiento could be handed his first league start after two goals in two games, but he is perhaps the only player who started in the cup who could keep his place.

Preston could keep the faith with the same XI who claimed a 1-1 draw with Millwall last weekend, with Alan Browne and Milutin Osmajic potential options to come into the starting side if boss Ryan Lowe does opt to make changes.

The stats

Ipswich have just one defeat in their last five away games in the Championship, while Preston have lost five of their last eight league games.

Town have not lost consecutive games all season across competition and have the third best away record in the division.

North End have just three wins from their last 10 home games.

Prediction

Ipswich suffered an embarrassing cup defeat last weekend, but they have a chance to get back on track with a victory at out-of-sorts Preston.

The Tractor Boys completely rotated their first XI for the game against Maidstone in the FA Cup, signalling the fact that the league and promotion is the clear priority, and boss Kieran McKenna will revert back to his regular starting line-up for this game.

Top-two hopefuls Ipswich should be able to respond with three points here, as Preston’s own promotion ambitions appear to be fading fast after a run of just two wins in their last eight Championship games, losing five of those.

The Suffolk club won the reverse fixture 4-2 back in October and they had established a 3-1 lead at half-time.

The visitors might not win in such convincing fashion this weekend, but they should be able to overcome a Preston side who have lost four of their last six at Deepdale. 

Back Ipswich to win at 19/20 with LiveScore Bet

Win up to £250,000 with LiveScore 6!

Win up to £250,000 with our free-to-play game, LiveScore 6!

Predict the score of all six LiveScore 6 fixtures for your chance to win. 18+, UK/Ireland residents only, T&Cs apply.