Oxford United vs. Preston North End: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Oxford have won all of their last three home games, keeping clean sheets in each match, and have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven competitive games.

Preston are winless in their last six Championship games away from home and have failed to score a single goal in any of those.

This is a tough game to call with Preston under the guidance of a new manager, but their away form has been so poor and their inability to find the back of the net has been glaring so it will likely take some time for Paul Heckingbottom to address those issues.

In what will likely be a competitive affair, we're backing Oxford to come out on top. Oxford 1-0 Preston.

This Saturday's Championship clash between Oxford United and Preston North End presents an interesting encounter between two sides that have experienced contrasting starts to their campaigns, albeit with similar outcomes in terms of points on the board.

• Date: 31/08/2024
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Location: Kassam Stadium, Oxford

Oxford United, newly promoted from League One, have settled into life in the Championship with a mix of optimism and caution. Their current position, 12th place in the table, is a fair reflection of a team that has shown glimpses of their potential, yet also some vulnerabilities that could prove costly over the long season. Under the guidance of Des Buckingham, Oxford have demonstrated that they are capable of competing at this level, a notion that was perhaps doubted by many prior to the start of the season.

Despite their encouraging start, Oxford's performances have not been without concern. The team has managed to secure just three points from their first three games, a return that feels somewhat disproportionate to the quality of performances delivered. The primary worry for Buckingham and his coaching staff lies in the team's underlying statistics. Oxford have averaged just 1xG per game, the third-lowest in the Championship, indicating a lack of clear-cut chances being created. This, coupled with an expected goals against (xGA) rate of 1.66, also the third-worst in the league, suggests that Oxford are simply too leaky at the back.

While these statistics may paint a concerning picture, it is important to note that Oxford are still adapting to the demands of Championship football. The leap from League One to the Championship is significant, and early struggles in adapting are not uncommon for newly promoted sides. However, Buckingham will be acutely aware that these numbers need to improve if Oxford are to avoid the fate of relegation that some had predicted for them at the start of the season.

One bright spark for Oxford has been the form of striker Mark Harris. The forward has hit the ground running in the Championship, scoring three goals in as many games.

On the other side of the pitch, Preston North End find themselves in a more precarious position, despite also having three points. Their 18th place standing reflects a team that has endured a turbulent few months, both on and off the field. Preston’s summer transfer window was far from ideal, as they lost two key players without bringing in significant replacements, a situation that left the squad looking thin and lacking in quality. The departure of manager Ryan Lowe after the first game of the season only added to the uncertainty surrounding the club.

However, the recent appointment of Paul Heckingbottom as manager has offered a glimmer of hope for Preston. The former Sheffield United manager brings with him a wealth of experience at this level, and early signs suggest that he could be the steadying influence that Preston desperately need. Heckingbottom’s challenge is a daunting one, with a small budget and a squad that many consider to be lacking in the necessary quality to compete comfortably in the Championship.

The team’s first performance under Heckingbottom showed some improvement, particularly in terms of organisation and structure, but the team remains a work in progress. Preston’s attacking play has been notably stale, with a lack of creativity and cutting edge that has seen them struggle to impose themselves on games. To avoid being dragged into a relegation battle, Preston will need to find a way to address these issues, and quickly.

This game will not be televised live to UK audiences, but partial radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio Oxford.

Oxford Team News:

Cameron Brannagan and Elliott Moore are both expected to be available for selection this weekend despite missing the game at Blackburn on Saturday afternoon.

Both should come straight back into the starting lineup, likely in place of Idris El Mizouni and Peter Kioso.

Przemysław Płacheta is a doubt after leaving the pitch injured at Ewood Park at the weekend.

Predicted lineup: Cumming; Long, Moore, Brown, Bennett; Vaulks; Phillips, Rodrigues, Brannagan, Goodrham; Harris.

Preston Team News:

The Lancashire club will again be without Ali McCann, but he should be the only absentee for this one.

Will Keane will likely keep his place in the starting lineup, an XI that should look exactly as it did at the start of the weekend's game against Luton.

Predicted lineup: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Whiteman; Potts, Kesler-Hayden, S. T. Þórðarson, Frøkjær-Jensen; Keane, Jakobsen.

Oxford’s first game of the 2024-25 season was a tricky opener against Norwich City. Oxford weren’t particularly fancied, but Buckingham’s men delivered a fine performance, running out deserved 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Mark Harris and Cameron Brannagan.

The U’s then faced off against last season’s play-off foe, Peterborough United, in the EFL Cup a few days later, and goals from Tyler Goodrham and Matt Phillips handed them a 2-0 win in a competitive affair.

Oxford’s next game was a painful one; Buckingham’s boys travelled to Coventry, and despite performing to a very admirable level and going toe-to-toe with one of the league’s promotion favourites, Oxford were undone in heartbreaking fashion after a Will Vaulks backpass played Coventry’s Haji Wright through on goal in the 96th minute, with the American cooly slotting home to secure a 3-2 win for the Sky Blues after Cairon Brown and Harris had looked like they’d secured a very good point for the U’s.

After that, Oxford took on Blackburn Rovers away from home, and despite a good start to the game where Harris put the U’s 1-0 up with a magnificent half-volley from range, Oxford ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat after the home side sealed the three points with a moment of quality in the second half.

Preston’s season kicked off with a meek 0-2 defeat at home to newly relegated Sheffield United in a game severely lacking in quality.

After that, Preston beat Sunderland 2-0 in the EFL Cup, but it was a game in which Sunderland fielded a largely second-string XI, which was shown by the fact North End were immediately hammered 3-0 away at Swansea City the following weekend in a hugely one-sided encounter.

New manager Paul Heckingbottom took charge of his first Preston game at the weekend and guided the team to a 1-0 win over Luton Town. Will Keane gave Preston the lead not far off half-time, and despite the fact Preston were forced into some last-ditch defending in the second half, they held on to secure their first league win of the season.

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