Preston North End v Tottenham Hotspur: Onwards in the FA Cup

by Matthew Harris · 27th January 2023

The magic of the FA Cup can always restore a smile. It’s been a difficult period for Spurs, but a cup run could change all that. After making hard work of the third round tie against Portsmouth, Preston North End are next up.

Last time out, we were at home to a League One outfit and scraped through thanks to a solitary Harry Kane goal. We’re now away to a mid-table Championship side, but is there a genuine threat, or can Tottenham make it more comfortable this time?

Team News

Spurs do not have a midweek game scheduled for either side of this FA Cup tie, so it would seem reasonable to assume that Antonio Conte will go in with a strong side. Irrespective of whether the manager wants to stay at Spurs beyond the end of this season, the competition represents our only realistic chance of silverware and he’ll want to claim it.

We’ll start by looking at the doubtful and the definite absentees. The only man definitely ruled out is Lucas Moura who has no return date set in regards to his tendon problem. Bryan Gil was absent from the Fulham squad but could be ready to return here.

Last time out against Portsmouth, Conte put Fraser Forster in goal and made a few changes elsewhere. It will be tough to guess the starting XI but, at the very least, there will be a strong bench.

Match Odds

Saturday’s game is a 6pm kick off and, for those of a nervous disposition who aren’t going to Deepdale, you may want to avoid the live broadcast from the BBC.

There are no surprises in the result betting and Spurs will start as favourites for the win at 2/7 with BetFred. The draw at the end of 90 minutes is next at 9/2 with 10Bet while a win for Preston can be found at best industry odds of 9/1 with Coral and Ladbrokes.

Preston North End will come into this match in 11th place in the Championship. The second tier is very tight in mid-table and manager Ryan Lowe’s team are just two points off the playoff slots.

A tight defence, coupled with some goal-shy displays at the other end of the pitch, were a hallmark of the club’s start to the campaign.

Side Markets

Harry Kane is targeting one more goal to go past Jimmy Greaves’ all time record for Spurs and he is favourite to open the scoring on Saturday. Harry starts at best industry odds of 27/10 with Unibet while Son Heung-Min follows at 5/1 with Betway and Ladbrokes.

Jimmy Greaves

Some bookmakers have already started to include our new signing Arnaut Danjuma and he may go off at around the 6/1 mark. Other options from within the Tottenham camp include Richarlison at 11/2 with Coral, Dejan Kulusevski at 15/2 with Unibet, Ivan Perisic at 21/2 with Unibet and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at 13/1 with Unibet.

Preston have our own Troy Parrott in their squad, but he’s unavailable against his parent club and has been injured after damaging a hamstring a few weeks back. The home side’s first option to open the scoring is, therefore, Liam Delap at a top price of 13/1 with Unibet.

Delap scored three times in 22 league matches during his previous loan with Stoke City.

In other side markets, Both Teams to Score is the higher priced of the two bets for once. BTTS is on offer at best odds of Even Money with Quinnbet but, if you prefer the ‘no’ option on Both Teams to Score, this can be claimed at 13/17 with 10Bet.

We’ll look at the Over and Under Goals markets now, and a bet Above the 2.5 line will currently be paid at 4/7 with Betway and BetFred. By pushing that up to Over 3.5, BetFred and 888Sport are offering 6/4.

Those expecting a quiet afternoon at Deepdale can go Under 2.5 goals and this is available at a top price of 11/8 with Unibet.

That will leave us with our regular look at some Correct Score suggestions and, if we agree with the bookies that this will be a comfortable outing for Spurs, the 3-1 away win is listed at 10/1 with BetFred and VBet. The pessimists among us can consider Preston 2 Spurs 1 at 25/1 with Ladbrokes, while the 2-2 draw can be found at a best of 22/1 with Quinnbet.

Deepdale Stadium

Head to Head

While the teams haven’t met in the league since our double winning campaign of 1960/61, Preston North End, have historically been a strong side and our paths crossed on many occasions prior to that date.

Saturday’s fixture at Deepdale will be the 69th time that the clubs have met in senior competition. Of the previous 68 fixtures, Spurs have won 30, Preston have won 21 and there have been 17 draws.

Since that most recent league fixture in April 1961, Preston and Spurs have played each other in seven matches across the two domestic cups. We lost the first of those in 1966, but haven’t lost in the last six.

The most recent game took place in September 2009 when Spurs were drawn away to Preston in the League Cup. Tottenham’s front men of the time dominated. Peter Crouch scored a hat trick, while Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane also netted in a 5-1 win.

Of course, none of this is particularly relevant to Saturday, but it is interesting to look back over historical results.

Verdict

It’s almost impossible to predict Spurs in any game this season and this could be a dangerous tie. For the manager, it’s all about striking a balance and resting certain players while realising that the competition offers a genuine chance of a trophy.

We should win it but hopefully it won’t be as narrow an affair as the Portsmouth game. In terms of tips, we’ll avoid the player betting as that hasn’t been going too well. Both Teams to Score and Over 3.5 goals are regulars for us, and we’ll look towards a more attacking and higher scoring fixture this weekend.