Preston North End vs Sunderland Prediction: Sunderland are leading the table

Preston North End will welcome Sunderland at Deepdale Stadium in Game Week 14 of the English Championship. Sunderland are leading the table. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Preston North End, that had not lost a single game in the Championship over the winning streak of October, had lost its last four games, with its back-to-back losses also included. Over the weekend, Preston lost 3-1 to Bristol City although Preston had a good draw against Norwich City and Plymouth Argyle and loss to Arsenal in the EFL Cup. This has left them with only two points above the danger zone as they head into forthcoming midweek matches. Their home form at Deepdale is going to be a crucial factor for Preston to climb out of the danger zone, as most of their points have been earned so far on the sidelines of Deepdale. Defense must also tighten up, having conceded 11 in their recent winless streak.

Of course, facing the league leaders might be intimidating for anyone, but Preston is actually a good record against Sunderland - only four defeats in the last 17 matches played between them. In fact, two of those defeats have come in the last three matches. Preston have won 21 successive midweek league matches at Deepdale, which is a feat only bettered by Manchester City in the top four divisions of English football.

Manager Heckingbottom, who was out of the building when Preston hammered Sunderland 2-0 in the EFL Cup after Ryan Lowe's resignation, also has an undefeated record against the Black Cats with four wins in five games.

Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, Frokjaer-Jensen, Whiteman, McCann, Kesler-Hayden; Riis, Greenwood

Regis Le Bris's side will be looking for revenge in the cup today, while the visitors have rather underperformed here, as they have only managed to take one win from their last six visits.

Although Sunderland are clear in the Championship and have played very strongly, they did have some very poor away matches as well, and they could only get three of the last seven. Their last game did not improve their away record as they drew 0-0 with Queen's Park Rangers. However, in that game, Jobe Bellingham saw his red card and Sunderland earned a well-deserved point as they had to hold off QPR's attacks. Though this draw would end their three-game winning streak, Le Bris's team still holds their undefeated run to six games now. They are three points clear of Leeds United and wish to return back to the Premier League after an eight-year absence, despite being under pressure by Daniel Farke's team.

Moore; Hume, Mepham, O'Nien, Cirkin; Neil, Rigg, Browne; Roberts, Isidor, Mundie

Sunderland will face a strong challenge despite their higher league position when they play at Deepdale, where they have always struggled. Still, they are expected to keep leading the table. A recent loss might demoralize Preston, and it will take them less time to get back into form if they want to challenge the first team.