Preston welcome play-off chasing Middlesbrough to Deepdale on the final day of 2021-22 Sky Bet Championship season.
Depending on results elsewhere, Preston can finish as high as 12th in the table on the final day of the season.
Middlesbrough meanwhile must win to stand any chance of qualifying for the play-offs if Sheffield United or Luton lose elsewhere.
Team News
Ryan Ledson could return for Preston after recovering from a serious knee injury, which required surgery in February.
Andrew Hughes and Mikey O’Neill are doubts as they recover from foot injuries, whilst Paul Huntington could feature for the final time as he prepares to leave Deepdale this summer.
Middlesbrough could welcome Paddy McNair back into the starting line-up after he missed last weekend’s win against Stoke due to illness.
Sammy Ameobi and Darnell Fisher (both knee) remain ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Preston have lost just two of their last seven meetings against Middlesbrough (W3, D2, L2).
- Middlesbrough are unbeaten in four of their last five league visits to Deepdale (W2, D2, L1).
- Both teams have scored in the same match in just one of their last four meetings – Preston won 2-1 at Boro in November 2021.
- Emil Riis Jakobsen has been involved in 19 league goals for Preston this season, in which he scored 14 goals and provided five assists.
- No Middlesbrough player has produced more crosses in the Championship this season than Marcus Tavernier, who has delivered 233 crosses in 43 appearances.
Prediction
Despite having nothing to play for in this match, Preston can still be a difficult team to beat on their day and this will be a last chance for several players to impress as manager, Ryan Lowe begins his preparations for next season.
One positive for Lowe’s Lilywhites though is that their recent home form has been pretty good with just one defeat in their last six home matches at Deepdale, which will give the squad belief of finishing the season on a high.
Middlesbrough meanwhile must simply win and hope that at least one of Sheffield Utd or Luton slip up, so I expect them to come out and try to get on the front foot with an early goal given their decent form at Deepdale in recent seasons.
Chris Wilder’s decision to keep informed of latest events at Sheffield Utd and Luton meanwhile could prove crucial, depending on the state of the action at Deepdale compared to elsewhere and how his own team reacts to any reactive tactical tweaks he decided to make throughout the game.
On that note, I am expecting a competitive encounter because Preston have nothing to lose whereas Boro have everything to gain, which could lead to a decent match if the hosts are still focused and not already dreaming of deckchairs plus beaches.
I though am going for an away win because Middlesbrough will be fired up for this more than Preston given what is at stake.
Prediction: Preston 1-2 Middlesbrough
Result: Preston 4-1 Middlesbrough
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