Preston North End v Burnley: Prediction, Tips and Odds

One Championship side is guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals of the 2024/25 FA Cup, but will it be Preston North End or their bitter rivals Burnley?

The only tie without Premier League interest is at Deepdale on Saturday where Burnley will be looking to reach the last eight for the second time in three seasons.

For Preston, the last time they made the quarter-finals was just a couple of months before Bobby Moore lifted the World Cup at Wembley, and their fans will tell you that is far too long.

Preston North End v Burnley betting tips and predictions

Draw - 11/5

Preston and Burnley have played out two 0-0 draws in the Championship this season and another close encounter is on the cards when they meet again for a place in the last eight of the FA Cup.

North End go into the game in 15th place in the division and as 5/2 outsiders to topple a Burnley side, currently third in the table and nigh-on unbreachable.

But while the state of the table suggests Scott Parker's Clarets fully merit their 6/5 quote, the evidence of previous encounters between these fierce rivals and neighbours suggests another draw.

Someone has to go through on the night - extra-time and/or penalties would decide that if the scores are level on 90 minutes - with this tie guaranteeing that there will be one non-Premier League side in the draw on Sunday.

These sides met as recently as a fortnight ago, at Deepdale, a game in which Burnley had more shots (11-5), corners (6-2) and possession (57 percent-43).

Their previous meeting was in October, at Turf Moor, a game in which Burnley saw even more of the ball (60-40) but the shot count was nine apiece.

Loads of numbers, loads of clues, but the bottom line was that each time the game finished 0-0. They simply can't be separated.

That Burnley kept clean sheets in both games will surprise no one. They have shut out their opponents in 25 of their 34 league matches, have not conceded more than once in any of the other nine games and have not conceded a goal to a Championship opponent since a 2-1 win over Watford four days before Christmas.

That Burnley failed to score in both games with North End was barely any less of a surprise. They have failed to find the net in 13 league matches, 11 of which have ended in 0-0 draws.

Preston have been involved in six 0-0 draws and 15 stalemates in total in the Championship, a high mark they share with West Brom. Burnley are one behind.

Preston go into the game on the back of a 2-1 loss at Coventry but they haven't lost a game at Deepdale since November, a period which has included draws against Sunderland, West Brom, Leeds and Burnley.

It's questionable how much the FA Cup means to a lot of clubs these days and Burnley have their eyes chiefly on promotion. But a derby game for a place in the last eight should bring out the fire in both and make it a special occasion - one that quite probably has to go into extra-time.

Over 4.5 cards in match - 5/6

There was plenty of controversy in the previous match between Preston and Burnley two weeks ago, incidents that may have left a bitter taste.

It was a fiery enough game anyway with five yellow cards shown and there were another eight handed out when the teams met at Turf Moor in the autumn.

Burnley have picked up a fairly respectable 62 yellow cards and two reds in the Championship this season, averaging 1.9 cards per game.

Preston, on the other hand, have piled up 87 yellows and four reds and are - by a fair distance - the worst behaved team in tier two.

This is likely to be fractious anyway, derbies usually are. Throw in recent bad blood and Preston's knack of getting on the wrong side of officials, and five cards looks an absolute minimum in this showdown.

Under 9.5 corners - 5/6

This match should be intense with a pattern to follow the previous two, with Burnley dictating the tempo and coveting the ball, and North End sitting in and looking for chances on the counter.

With high stakes there may well be fewer risks as well - that seems to be the Clarets' way under Parker.

The two-way corner market has been set at 9.5 and under looks the call.

Fewer than half of Preston's home games (47 percent) in the Championship have yielded over 9.5 corners.

And the two previous meetings between these sides this season produced five corners at Turf Moor and eight at Deepdale.

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Preston North End v Burnley odds

Preston North End - 5/2
Draw - 11/5
Burnley - 6/5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.