Preston North End vs Middlesbrough Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips Predictions

Preston North End vs Middlesbrough Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Match Details: September 13, 2025 | Deepdale | EFL Championship | 12:30 BST

The first international break of the 2025/26 season is over as club football returns. Here, we have a match from round 5 of the EFL Championship, as league leaders Middlesbrough head to early promotion pushers Preston looking to maintain their 100% start to the campaign. Preston, meanwhile, look to get back to winning ways after their unbeaten start to the season was ended by a defeat in Portsmouth prior to the break.

Key Betting Tips: BTTS and Over 2.5 Goals at 2.3 odds on Kwiff represents excellent value based on the tip provided by our algorithm.

Preston vs Middlesbrough Predicted Lineups

Preston Predicted XI (5-3-2): Daniel Iversen; Thierry Small, Andrew Hughes, Lewis Gibson, Jordan Storey, Pol Valentin; Alistair McCann, Ben Whiteman, Stefan Thordarson; Michael Smith, Daniel Jebbison.

With Preston at home to league leaders Middlesbrough, it wouldn’t be surprising if they reverted back to a 5-3-2 formation that worked well for them against Ipswich. With Alfie Devine still out through injury, Thordarson is expected to keep his place in the midfield three alongside McCann and Whiteman.

As for injuries Brad Potts, Harrison Armstrong, Jordan Thompson, Milutin Osmajic, Robert Brady, and Will Keane are all out for the Lilywhites.

Middlesbrough Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Solomon Brynn; Alfie Jones, Dael Fry, Luke Ayling; Matt Targett, Hayden Hackney, Aidan Morris, Callum Brittain; Sverre Nypan, Morgan Whittaker; Tommy Conway.

Rob Edwards could give two first starts to the side this weekend, with Nypan and Targett potentially being handed their full debuts for Boro in place of Sontje Hansen and Samuel Silvera respectively.

The Boro have many less injury concerns than Preston this Saturday, with only Alex Bangura, Riley McGree, and Seny Dieng missing the trip to Lancashire.

Preston vs Middlesbrough Current League Standings

The Lilywhites have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, however, since losing Osmajic to injury, they have gone on to lose what is their only two defeats in all competitions this season. They still sit pretty in ninth on seven points, one point behind the play-off places, although they will have to learn how to win without their talisman.

As for Boro, Edwards will be very pleased with the football his side have played so far – bar the defeat to Doncaster in the EFL Cup, of course. Domestically, however, they have shone – four games, four wins, and they have only conceded once.

Preston vs Middlesbrough Head-to-Head Timeline

This head-to-head has been very close over the years, with Middlesbrough winning nine to Preston’s seven, with a further seven draws in the last 23 meetings. It has been a mix of winners in the last five, with both sides winning two apiece.

Recent Head-to-Head Results:

• January 25, 2025: Preston 2-1 Middlesbrough (Championship)
• September 14, 2024: Middlesbrough 1-1 Preston (Championship)
• February 14, 2024: Preston 2-1 Middlesbrough (Championship)
• November 28, 2023: Middlesbrough 4-0 Preston (Championship)
• March 18, 2023: Middlesbrough 4-0 Preston (Championship)

The last time the teams met was also at Deepdale in January, where the hosts ran out 2-1 winners. Thordarson put Preston ahead at half-time, before Delano Burgzorg equalised for the visitors just seven minutes into the second half. Super sub Emil Jakobsen was the difference maker however, scoring 12 minutes from time.

Preston and Middlesbrough Recent Matches Analysis

Preston Last 5 Matches:

• Preston 0-1 Portsmouth (A) – Championship
• Preston 2-3 Wrexham (H) – EFL Cup
• Preston 1-0 Ipswich (H) – Championship
• Preston 2-1 Leicester (H) – Championship
• Preston 1-0 Barrow (A) – EFL Cup

Preston have made Deepdale a fortress right now, beating both Ipswich and Leicester there in recent weeks. This could be a different story, however, with Osmajic on the sidelines, the Lilywhites could struggle more.

Middlesbrough Last 5 Matches:

• Middlesbrough 1-0 Sheffield United (H) – Championship
• Middlesbrough 2-1 Norwich (A) – Championship
• Middlesbrough 3-0 Millwall (A) – Championship
• Middlesbrough 0-4 Doncaster (H) – EFL Cup
• Middlesbrough 1-0 Swansea (H) – Championship

A small blip has been passed, and Middlesbrough look like a team that will challenge for promotion to the Premier League by May. Their wins have been close for the most part, so they will be ready to dig deep on Saturday lunchtime.

Preston vs Middlesbrough Predictions

Our advanced algorithm analyses over 200 data points to generate these predictions with confidence in a BTTS and Over 2.5 goals victory. The model factors in current form, head-to-head records, player availability, and tactical matchups.

Best Preston vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips

Football Park’s Best Bet: BTTS and Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.3 - Recent form suggests confidence in a both teams to score game. Although Boro have only conceded one so far and have breezed through their opening few fixtures, the international break has allowed most teams to hit a reset button, making these matches this weekend difficult to predict – hence our prediction for an entertaining mildly high-score game.

Key Players to Watch: Preston vs Middlesbrough

Daniel Iversen (Preston): His two player of the match awards are a testament to his incredible start between the sticks, so he will be difficult to beat. He is expected to be test, however, by an in-form Middlesbrough frontline, so he will need to stand tall.

Sverre Nypan (Middlesbrough): The exciting talent is on loan at Boro from Man City for the season, and he could make his first start on Saturday. This kid is expected to be the next big name coming out from Norway, so expect him to liven up this game out of nowhere whether he starts or comes off the bench.

Preston vs Middlesbrough Match Facts

Referee: Thomas Kirk (ENG). The relatively experienced English official has overseen 166 matches in his professional career, and he hands out around 3.28 yellow cards per match, on average. This number rose above 5 last season, however, and this game will be physical, so a card bet could be good value here.

Broadcast Details:

UK: Sky Sports+ App at 12:30 BST.

Stadium Information: Located in Yorkshire, Preston, Deepdale’s long history dates back to 1875. The 23,000-seater stadium is widely recognised as the oldest professional football stadium in the world.

Preston vs Middlesbrough: Final Prediction

Preston North End 1-2 Middlesbrough