2025-26 Sky Bet Championship: Week 20 – Tuesday

Preston North End host Championship leaders, Coventry in a huge showdown in the promotion race.

Victory would lift Preston up to third in the table, whilst Coventry will stay top regardless of the result.

 

Team News

Mads Froksjaer Jensen could return for Preston after he sat out their 1-1 draw against Wrexham due to a minor hamstring injury.

Robbie Brady (calf), Theo Carroll (knock), Lewis Gibson (thigh), Jamal Lewis, Brad Potts (both hamstring) and Ali McCann (arm) remain sidelined.

Coventry could welcome Tatsuhiro Sakamoto back after he missed their last two matches due to concussion protocols.

Victor Torp is also set to return after he missed their defeat at Ipswich due to illness.

Brandon Thomas-Asante (hamstring) and Oliver Dovin (knee) remain absent.

 

When is Kick-Off?

Preston host Coventry at Deepdale on Tuesday 9 December at 7:45pm GMT, live on Sky Sports+ in the UK.

 

Stat Attack

• Preston have lost just one of their last 23 league meetings against Coventry (W14, D8, L1).
• Coventry are yet to claim a league win away to Preston after 23 previous attempts (D8, L15).
• Preston have kept four clean sheets in their last six home games against Coventry.
• Preston have failed to keep clean sheets in any of their last four home games (W2, L2).
• Coventry are looking to avoid suffering consecutive away defeats for the first time since April 2025, which saw them lose 3-1 at Plymouth then 1-0 at Luton.

 

Prediction

Currently sat fifth with Ipswich and Millwall not playing until Wednesday, this is a great opportunity for Preston to put pressure on those two just above them but they have to be more clinical than they were for their dominance against Wrexham.

Having tasted an uncharacteristic defeat at one of their bogey clubs – Ipswich on Saturday, Coventry simply lacked their usual ruthless end product in a pretty tight game where the hosts were simply more clinical, so I do expect them to come and deliver a reaction here.

Deepdale however is another bogey ground for Coventry and unless they score first and can quickly kick on, I can see Preston potentially grinding out a draw if are again not as clinical as they can be.

Prediction: Preston 1-1 Coventry

Result: Preston 1-1 Coventry