Preston vs Swansea predictions: North End can stay strong at home
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- Preston have lost only two of their 17 home league matches this season
- Swansea have been beaten in seven of their last nine games
- Recommended bet: Preston to win
Preston and Swansea are separated by only one place and two points in the Championship table with North End ahead of the Swans in 15th place with just 12 league matches remaining for each team.
Both sides celebrated 3-0 wins on Saturday, which saw Swansea gain three points in the league thanks to an impressive home success over Blackburn under interim manager Alan Sheehan.
Preston's victory came in the FA Cup fifth round as they beat Lancashire rivals Burnley to set up a home quarter-final tie against Aston Villa.
Paul Heckingbottom's team are the sole non-Premier League team remaining in the chase for that trophy, but they have to put their cup dreams on hold until the end of the month as both teams concentrate on staying clear of the relegation battle, with Swansea still only seven points ahead of 21st-placed Hull.
The Swans won 3-0 when the teams met in Wales in August, but Preston have won the last three matches between them at Deepdale.
Team news
Preston will be without Ben Whiteman, Duane Holmes, Jack Whatmough and Jordan Storey due to injuries.
Mads Frokjaer-Jensen is still a doubt after missing the Burnley match but loan defender Ryan Porteous is set to come back into the side after being cup-tied on Saturday.
Joe Allen has a chance of returning from a calf injury for Swansea but Kristian Pedersen is still sidelined.
Otherwise, interim boss Alan Sheehan, who is set to keep the job at least until the next international break, should have the same options available to him.
The stats
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Preston are unbeaten in their last 13 home matches.
North End's last five defeats have all come in away games with both teams scoring.
Preston have kept four clean sheets in their last six matches.
Swansea have lost on their last three visits to Deepdale.
The Swans have won only two of their last 11 fixtures.
Swansea have had just two draws in 17 away league matches this season.
The Swans have conceded three or more goals in five of their last six road trips.
Prediction
Swansea fans will be hoping that Saturday's impressive result against Blackburn will signal a turning point in their fortunes under interim manager Alan Sheehan, but his next assignment is not easy.
Preston are a tough side to overcome at Deepdale and the home side's confidence should be through the roof after their FA Cup success over rivals Burnley. The Clarets made a host of changes for that game, but it was a similar side to the one that beat Premier League Southampton in the previous round and Preston were well on top.
North End have been held to nine home draws this season, which has hampered their league progress, but their form has a much stronger overall look to it than Swansea's, and the visitors need to show they can reproduce their performance level from Saturday's game on the road.
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