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Chelsea vs Preston betting tips:
- Chelsea to win and both teams to score - 7/4 with bet365
- Chelsea to score in both halves - 6/5 with Luckster Sport
- Christopher Nkunku to score any time - 23/20 with William Hill
Chelsea will begin their bid to win the FA Cup for a ninth time when they face Preston North End on Saturday (5.30pm, BBC Red Button).
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are through to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and they will be taking this competition equally seriously.
Chelsea are seeking a third consecutive win for the first time since October, but Preston should not be written off entirely.
Still, the Blues are strong favourites to go through with the best betting sites.
Chelsea vs Preston prediction: Blues to advance
It is fair to say Chelsea had a mixed first half of the season. After 20 rounds of fixtures, they sit a lowly 10th in the Premier League table. Even with so many games left to play, it is hard to see them overturning a 12-point deficit to the top four.
The Blues are not in Europe this season, so the domestic cups will go a long way to determining how successful their campaign ultimately is.
Pochettino will be desperate to win his first trophy in English football, while Chelsea have not scooped a non-continental piece of silverware for five and a half years.
Preston will not roll over at Stamford Bridge. Play-off contenders in the Championship, this is something of a free hit for Ryan Lowe’s men, who will arrive in west London without any expectation on their shoulders.
Their recent form is poor, though, with four losses in their last five matches in the league. Chelsea could therefore prove too strong after 90 minutes, but a clean sheet could be beyond a team that looked extremely vulnerable at the back in their recent 3-2 victory over Luton Town.
Goals on the cards in west London
Now that pretty much everyone is fit and available, Chelsea have some excellent attacking options at their disposal.
Christopher Nkunku is finally back in the frame after a lengthy injury. Cole Palmer has found his scoring touch while Raheem Sterling is a proven top-class talent. Then there is Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja and Mykhailo Mudryk. Pochettino is not short of options.
Chelsea have had their problems this term, but creating chances is not one of them. Only Liverpool are above the Blues in the Premier League expected goals table.
Chelsea are still not as prolific as they should be, but they are also improving in that regard; the Blues have drawn a blank in just one of their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Preston are struggling to keep opponents out right now, so do not be surprised if Chelsea score either side of half-time which can be backed at 6/5 on betting apps.
Tip: Chelsea to score in both halves - 6/5 (Luckster Sport)
Nkunku can make mark against Preston
The aforementioned Jackson has now jetted off to Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations, so Nkunku is likely to be in the starting XI this weekend.
Pochettino is still managing the Frenchman’s minutes, but he should appear from the first whistle here given he began on the bench against Luton last time out.
Nkunku could play up front but he is more likely to feature in a second striker role behind Broja.
The former RB Leipzig man played in a more withdrawn role in Germany, yet he still managed to score 58 goals in his final two seasons at the Red Bull Arena.
Nkunku has already got off the mark for Chelsea, although his only goal so far was a consolation in a defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After considering the odds on football betting sites, we fancy his chances of scoring in a Chelsea victory for the first time when Preston head to the capital on Saturday.
Tip: Christopher Nkunku to score any time - 23/20 (William Hill)
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
