Reeling from their midweek EFL Cup exit, Leicester journey to Deepdale to face Preston in round two of the Championship on Saturday.
Having failed to win the last seven meetings between the two teams, the Lilywhites will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors and secure consecutive victories for the first time this season.
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Preston vs Leicester: Leicester to return to winning ways
Key stats
- Preston have failed to win their last nine Championship games (5L, 4D), a run stretching back to a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth on March 15.
- Leicester are without a win in their last 10 away matches across all competitions since the start of February, losing eight and claiming two draws in that time.
- Preston have managed just one win from their most recent seven home games in the league while losing three and claiming three draws since March 4.
- There have been at least three goals scored in six of Preston’s last seven Championship games, with a combined 22 goals scored across the seven matches.
Correct score prediction: Preston 1-3 Leicester
- HOME: 5/2 (3.50) – 28.6%
- DRAW: 5/2 (3.50) – 28.6%
- AWAY: 13/20 (1.65) – 60.6%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Leicester are backed by the bookies to secure the win on Saturday, indicated by their 48.8% win probability, compared to Preston’s 28.6%.
Preston snapped their run of four consecutive games without a win on Tuesday when they beat Barrow 1-0 in the first round of the EFL Cup at the Holker Street Stadium.
As for Leicester, they were dumped out of EFL Cup last time out when they fell to a penalty-shootout defeat against Huddersfield Town at the Accu Stadium.
While we take a deeper look into both teams, you can check some of the best Championship picks and predictions from Football Whispers in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: Leicester on a hot streak
Leicester are unbeaten in their most recent seven matches against Preston, two draws and five wins, including three victories from the most recent three meetings between the two teams.
The Foxes' last defeat against Preston came in September 2009, when they were beaten 2-1 in their Championship clash at the King Power Stadium.
England Championship 29/04/24
Preston
Leicester
England Championship 27/04/24
Preston
Leicester
England Championship 04/10/23
Leicester
Preston
Elite Club Friendlies 23/07/22
Preston
Leicester
Europe Friendlies 02/08/14
Preston
Leicester
Preston Preview: Recent struggles in the league
Having reached the fourth round last season, Preston kicked off the 2025-26 EFL Cup campaign on Tuesday when they secured a 1-0 victory over Barrow.
Following a goalless draw at Holker Street, veteran defender Charlie Raglan inadvertently turned the ball into his net in the 66th minute to hand Preston a deserved victory.
This followed a 1-1 stalemate with Queens Park Rangers in the Championship curtain-raiser on August 9, when Milutin Osmajic netted in the 48th-minute to cancel out Benjamin Whiteman’s first-half opener.
Head coach Paul Heckingbottom will hope the cup result can serve as a springboard for a fine run of results in the league, where the Lilywhites have failed to win their last nine matches since March’s 2-1 victory over Portsmouth.
Preston narrowly beat the drop last season as they picked up 50 points from their 46 Championship games to finish 20th in the league table, just one point above the relegation zone
Predicted lineup: Iversen (GK), Gibson, Storey, Hughes, Small, Devine, Thordarson, McCann, Vukcevic, Smith & Osmajic
England Championship 03/05/25
D
Bristol City
2
Preston
2
England Championship 26/04/25
L
Plymouth
2
Preston
1
England Championship 21/04/25
L
Hull
2
Preston
1
England Championship 18/04/25
L
QPR
2
Preston
1
England Championship 12/04/25
L
Leeds
2
Preston
1
Leicester preview: Looking to stamp name as early contenders
Leicester were left red-faced in midweek when they fell to a penalty-shootout defeat against Huddersfield Town in their EFL Cup first-round clash at the Accu Stadium.
Following a relatively uneventful first half, Hamza Choudhury and Harry Winks netted to put the visitors ahead twice in the game, but Huddersfield hit back on each occasion through Daniel Vost and Cameron Aisha to force penalties, where they secured a 3-2 win.
Prior to that, Leicester fought back from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at the King Power Stadium courtesy of goals from defenders Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes.
Having dropped down from the Premier League last season, Marti Cifuentes’s men will look to bounce back this weekend and put together a strong early-season form as they aim to secure an immediate return to the English top flight.
Leicester now journey to Deepdale, where they are unbeaten in each of their last three visits, picking up two wins and one draw since a 2-1 loss in the EFL Cup second round in August 2009.
Predicted lineup: Stolarczyk (GK), Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Thomas, Skipp, Soumare, Fatawu, El Khannouss, Mavididi & Ayew
England Premier League 11/05/25
D
Nottm Forest
2
Leicester
2
England Premier League 03/05/25
W
Southampton
0
Leicester
2
England Premier League 26/04/25
L
Wolverhampton
3
Leicester
0
England Premier League 20/04/25
L
Liverpool
1
Leicester
0
England Premier League 12/04/25
D
Brighton
2
Leicester
2
Player to watch – Bilal El Khannouss
El Khannouss's long-term future at the Key Power Stadium remains highly uncertain, and there is a good chance he leaves before the window shuts.
Leicester are all but resigned to losing the Moroccan but could do with a player of his quality in their quest for immediate promotion back to the Premier League.
Supplying two assists, El Khannouss was the star of the show in his side's comeback 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in gameweek one, and you would not bet against him coming up with the goods once again this weekend.