Preston North End vs Southampton preview

England flag 2025/2026 Championship, England
Deepdale Sat, 2 May - 11:30 AM
Championship
Preston North End PNE
Southampton SOU
KICKOFF : Sat, 2 May - 11:30 AM
Round 46 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Preston North End welcome Southampton to Deepdale for a Championship regular season encounter in the 2025/2026 campaign. The Saints arrive as clear favourites, holding a commanding power score of 36.76 compared to Preston's 20.25, which equates to a 16.5-point advantage. League standings reflect this disparity, with Southampton in 5th place chasing promotion while Preston languish in 12th. Form scores further tilt the scales, Southampton's 37 dwarfing Preston's 17.78, suggesting momentum lies firmly with the visitors. No recent outing details are available for either side, leaving some unknowns. Set piece metrics are absent due to unavailable xG data and low-confidence proxies for both teams. Preston will rely on home advantage at Deepdale to disrupt Southampton's rhythm, but the visitors' superior metrics point to control. This fixture tests Preston's resilience against a high-flying Southampton outfit.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Southampton hold a 16.5-point power advantage over Preston North End with scores of 36.76 to 20.25.
  • Form: Southampton's form score of 37 outstrips Preston North End's 17.78.
  • Squad: Preston North End sit 12th in the Championship while Southampton occupy 5th place.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency data is unavailable for this matchup.
  • Transition: Transition metrics are not provided for either team.
  • Set pieces: Set piece xG data unavailable due to low confidence and proxy usage for both teams.
  • xVariable: No xG variable data available as xG add-on not enabled.
  • Market: Baseline split: Preston North End 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Southampton 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Preston North End P. Heckingbottom
P. Heckingbottom
VS
Southampton Tonda Eckert
Tonda Eckert
1.19
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
2.03
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Sheffield United Rank: W
Birmingham City Rank: L
West Bromwich Albion Rank: L
Charlton Athletic Rank: W
Queens Park Rangers Rank: D
Leicester City Rank: D
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
2.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Ipswich Town Rank: D
Bristol City Rank: D
Swansea City Rank: W
Blackburn Rovers Rank: W
Derby County Rank: W
Wrexham Rank: W
4
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
4 - 4 - 4
4
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Preston North End
0%
Draw
0%
Away Southampton
0%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power score: composite of opponent-weighted form (last 6 & 20 games) and league position over last 3 seasons.
20.25
36.76
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Preston North End
Southampton
Power Score
20.25
36.76
League Position
12
5
Global Rank
-
-

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Preston North End — Opponent-weighted form score
Southampton — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Preston North End Southampton

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 12 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Preston North End PNE Home
12 matches
Southampton SOU Away
Match Record
4
Wins
4
4
Draws
4
4
Losses
4
Goals
19
Goals Scored
17
17
Goals Conceded
19
+2
Goal Difference
-2
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-04-27T00:28:33+00:00

General Information

Date & Time
May 02, 2026, 11:30 AM
Competition
2025/2026 Championship, England · Round 46 · Regular Season
Stadium
Deepdale
Capacity
23408
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Squad

Squad ▼

13
David Cornell
David Cornell Goalkeeper
12
Jack James Walton
Jack James Walton Goalkeeper
1
Daniel Iversen
Daniel Iversen Goalkeeper
44
Brad Potts
Brad Potts Defender
16
Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes Defender
14
Jordan Storey
Jordan Storey Defender
3
Andrija Vukčević
Andrija Vukčević Defender
6
Liam Lindsay
Liam Lindsay Defender
18
Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis Defender
19
Lewis Jack Gibson
Lewis Jack Gibson Defender
2
Pol Valentín Sancho
Pol Valentín Sancho Defender
42
Odeluga Offiah
Odeluga Offiah Defender
26
Thierr Small
Thierr Small Defender
—
Casper Pasiek
Casper Pasiek Defender
11
Robbie Brady
Robbie Brady Midfielder
4
Benjamin Whiteman
Benjamin Whiteman Midfielder
15
Jordan Thompson
Jordan Thompson Midfielder
8
Alistair McCann
Alistair McCann Midfielder
23
Andrew Moran
Andrew Moran Midfielder
21
Alfie Devine
Alfie Devine Midfielder
34
Kitt Nelson
Kitt Nelson Midfielder
20
Theo Carroll
Theo Carroll Midfielder
24
Michael Smith
Michael Smith Attacker
10
Callum Lang
Callum Lang Attacker
28
Milutin Osmajić
Milutin Osmajić Attacker
17
Lewis Norman Dobbin
Lewis Norman Dobbin Attacker
9
Daniel Jebbison
Daniel Jebbison Attacker
22
Miloš Luković
Miloš Luković Attacker

Squad ▼

1
Alex McCarthy
Alex McCarthy Goalkeeper
32
Jamie Jones
Jamie Jones Goalkeeper
25
George Long
George Long Goalkeeper
41
Daniel Peretz
Daniel Peretz Goalkeeper
5
Jack Stephens
Jack Stephens Defender
14
James Bree
James Bree Defender
3
Ryan Manning
Ryan Manning Defender
2
Mads Roerslev Rasmussen
Mads Roerslev Rasmussen Defender
15
Nathan Wood-Gordon
Nathan Wood-Gordon Defender
6
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Taylor Harwood-Bellis Defender
34
Welington Damascena Santos
Welington Damascena Santos Defender
17
Joshua Quarshie
Joshua Quarshie Defender
38
Elias Jelert Kristensen
Elias Jelert Kristensen Defender
39
Joachim Kayi Sanda
Joachim Kayi Sanda Defender
28
Oriol Romeu Vidal
Oriol Romeu Vidal Midfielder
4
Flynn Downes
Flynn Downes Midfielder
10
Finn Azaz
Finn Azaz Midfielder
18
Tom Fellows
Tom Fellows Midfielder
24
Shea Charles
Shea Charles Midfielder
20
Caspar Jander
Caspar Jander Midfielder
13
Leonardo Weschenfelder-Scienza
Leonardo Weschenfelder-Scienza Midfielder
27
Kuryu Matsuki
Kuryu Matsuki Midfielder
11
Ross Stewart
Ross Stewart Attacker
9
Cyle Larin
Cyle Larin Attacker
19
Cameron Archer
Cameron Archer Attacker
23
Samuel Edozie
Samuel Edozie Attacker
46
Jay Robinson
Jay Robinson Attacker

CONCLUSION

Southampton's superior power, form, and league position make them the team to beat at Deepdale. Preston North End face an uphill battle against a side 16.5 points stronger, with form scores highlighting the gap. Absent set piece and efficiency data adds intrigue, but Southampton's overall edge suggests they will dictate terms. Home support may inspire Preston, yet the visitors' quality should prevail in this Championship clash. Expect Southampton to extend their strong run.