Football League World
·27 January 2023
Football League World
·27 January 2023
Preston North End welcome Premier League opposition to Deepdale this weekend.
Ryan Lowe’s side take on Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Victory over Huddersfield Town earned the Lilywhites a big-name opponent in the famous cup competition.
Tottenham earned a scrappy 1-0 win at home to Portsmouth in the previous round, with Antonio Conte seeking to end Spurs’ current trophy drought.
The Italian’s side will come into the game off the back of a hard fought 1-0 win away to Fulham last Monday.
Chris Sutton believes that it will be another close contest on Saturday, predicting a 1-0 win for the visitors.
The former forward has pinpointed Harry Kane’s appearance in this game as crucial, as he claimed that the English forward will be the difference between the two teams if he does indeed feature.
“Preston have had some good results this season but my old team Norwich schooled them on their own patch in their last home game,” wrote Sutton, via the BBC.
“I just don’t see them beating Tottenham, mainly because I think Harry Kane will start for Spurs… and probably score for them too.
“Antonio Conte’s side have had their issues recently but they played well at Fulham on Monday and they will be too streetwise to suffer a shock result at Deepdale.”
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The winner of Saturday’s game will go straight into Monday night’s draw for the fifth round.
With replays now back in the competition, having been removed for the 2022 edition, a tie will result in a reverse fixture within 10 days of the original clash.
The Verdict
Preston’s form in the Championship has been hit and miss in recent weeks, leaving the team 11th in the table.
But a huge FA Cup clash against top Premier League opposition should see the best of Lowe’s side.
Sutton is right to expect a close game as Spurs have been poor at putting away games in which they’ve taken the lead in recent weeks.