Stoke vs Preston Odds: Jacob Brown at the centre of Championship 3pm kick off

2022 has not got off to the best start for the Championship as only five matches took place over Saturday and Sunday due to Covid-related postponements. Three further cancellations in the English second tier today leaves just two matches to enjoy, with both fixtures being played out at 3pm. These come in the form of Reading vs Derby and Stoke vs Preston - the latter being the focus here.

It's been a whopping 23 days since PNE last played a match. The 11th December was their last outing, which happened to be Ryan Lowe's first and only game as Preston boss so far. His side narrowly edged out relegation-threatened Barnsley in a 2-1 victory at Deepdale. For Stoke, 30th December proved rather frustrating as a late Colin Kazim-Richards winner ensured that 2021 ended on a sour note.

This match up sees 8th place Stoke welcome Preston in 16th to the bet365 Stadium in a clash that could help both sides catch up those around them with games in hand over others. We've provided two tips which can be combined for a double that pays out best with Betair at 18/1.

First up is an anytime goalscorer shout where I've gone for forward Jacob Brown to net for the home side. He is a mainstay in Michael O'Neill's side, having featured in every single one of their 23 league matches during the 2021/22 campaign. 

As mentioned previously, Stoke having played much more recently than their opponents gives them quite the edge in this one. Their sharpness could be costly for the visiting team and I'm predicting Brown to capitalise on this.

The striker has bagged five goals for the Potters in the Championship this season - making him their joint-top goalscorer alongside Nick Powell. This just so happens to be the tally he managed across 41 games for the club last season, showing a marked improvement from the 23-year-old.

As well as his goal tally, he also leads the way for both shots and shots on target for his team with 35 and 14 respectively.

He's well on course to surpass his best goalscoring season of eight in League One for Barnsley and he is 3/1 with Bet365 to land himself on the scoresheet today.

The other bet I like the look of here also centres on Jacob Brown and that's for him to pick up a booking.

His conversion rate does leave something to be desired and despite his output being clearly stronger this term, that doesn't come without its frustrations. O'Neill's side don't always create a raft of chances which is enough to leave any striker going above and beyond to open up an opportunity for themselves.

Lowe's Bury and Plymouth sides liked to play out from the back, moving the ball quickly and incisively and although the sample size is too small to judge at Preston, it's safe to say he'll be looking to implement the same style with them. They've had plenty of time on the training ground to work on getting this right and we could well see it deployed more intricately this afternoon. 

If that's the case, Brown could well be looking at inadvertently adding to the 25 fouls he's already committed this season - a number only bested by Joe Allen for his team. If you fancy this selection, it's best priced with Betfair at 4/1. You can also pair up both bets for an 18/1 double with the same bookmaker.

Best of luck if you are following any of these selections and please always gamble responsibly.