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Ipswich Town vs Preston North End Preview: Odds, Tips, and Predictions

Date: Saturday, 31 January 2026 Venue: Portman Road Kick-off: 3pm GMT Ipswich Town will continue their quest to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League when they tackle Preston North End in a Championship encounter at Portman Road on Saturday, January 31. Games in England’s second tier always provoke interest, and the most reputable football betting sites will be brimming with markets to tuck into. The Tractor Boys saw their recent five-match unbeaten streak in all competitions brought to an abrupt end by Sheffield United as they were on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline. Preston, on the other hand, are just outside the play-off positions, but they can’t seem to buy a win with three defeats on the spin.

Charles Perrin
Charles Perrin
Sports Betting Writer
Chad Nagel
Sports Betting & Casino Editor

5 minread

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Preston North End's Milutin Osmajic celebrates scoring his side's first goal

Milutin Osmajic celebrates scoring his side's first goal//Getty Images

Ipswich will be gunning for revenge after a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Preston at Deepdale back in August, but how will this encounter pan out? Our Ipswich vs Preston preview divulges tips and shares football betting strategies to latch onto.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

Ipswich Town Clear Favourites

English National League online betting sites worth their salt will carry pre-match betting odds. Let’s see what the lay of the land is ahead of Ipswich vs Preston then.

  1. Home: 3/8 (1.38) – 72.7%

  2. Draw: 7/2 (4.50) – 22.2%

  3. Away: 6/1 (7.00) – 14.3%

    *Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change.

Head-to-Head Record

Ipswich and Preston have played out some rip-roaring encounters in the Championship, and English National League head-to-head records serve a purpose. Here is the tale of the tape between the two sides:

Last Five Meetings (English National League)

  1. 23/08/25: Preston North End 1-0 Ipswich Town

  2. 03/02/24: Preston North End 3-2 Ipswich Town

  3. 07/10/23: Ipswich Town 4-2 Preston North End

  4. 19/04/19: Preston North End 4-0 Ipswich Town

  5. 03/11/18: Ipswich Town 1-1 Preston North End

Ipswich Town Current Form – WWWWL

After an excellent festive period, Ipswich have generally been pretty assured at the start of 2026.

That was until an unexpected 3-1 defeat at the hands of Sheffield United, where things unravelled. Patrick Bamford, who scored for the Blades, saw red, but Ipswich weren’t at the races.

Anyway, far from letting the loss dampen spirits, Ipswich will find renewed belief that they can get things back on track. The change of avenging the loss against Preston earlier in the season means they will be fired up.

Key Players to Watch

  • Jack Clarke: Jack Clarke has been the main source of goals for Ipswich this term, netting 11 in the Championship. With three in his last league appearances, he will be hungry to add to his tally this weekend.
  • Sam Szmodics: Although he’s only scored once this season, Sam Szmodics offers plenty going forward, and he patrols the midfield well. Preston will need to pay close attention to him.
  • Jaden Philogene: Jaden Philogene has a canny knack of popping up with important strikes, and while he’s second to Clarke in the league goalscoring ranks, he has been instrumental for Ipswich this campaign.

Ipswich Team News

Ipswich boss Chris McKenna is fretting over Ashley Young, who could be out for a while after picking up a hip injury against Sheffield United. Other than that, McKenna has a fully fit squad to choose from to face Preston.

Preston North End Current Form – WWLLL

Preston are currently on the outside looking in insofar as the play-offs are concerned. More worryingly, their form has nosedived, and they have tasted four losses on the spin in all competitions.

Paul Heckingbottom has been left frustrated by some mediocre displays, and with no goals scored during this torrid run, this is very disconcerting.

Having beaten Ipswich earlier in the bottom, completing a league double over them would be very sweet indeed.

Key Players to Watch

  • Lewis Dobbin: An exciting winger currently on loan from Aston Villa, Lewis Dobbin has lit up the Championship this season for Preston, and he’s weighed in with six league goals, so Ipswich will need to contain him.
  • Ali McCann: Having spent over four years at Preston, Ali McCann has gone through the highs and lows. The midfielder has racked up the minutes, and while he’s been short on goals, he screens the defence well up the pitch.
  • Alfie Devine: After failing to get first-team minutes under his belt at Tottenham, Alfie Devine, who is on loan, has had eight goal involvements (five goals and three assists), and he’s given Preston an exciting dimension going forward.

Preston Team News

Brad Potts, who has endured a frustrating season through injury, remains a doubt for this game, as does goalkeeper Daniel Iversen, and there is no timeframe set on his return.

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1)

    Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipré, Greaves, Matusiwa, Taylor, Egeli, Szmodics, Clarke; Philogene

  2. Preston North End (3-5-2)

    Walton; Offiah, Storey, Gibson, Valentín, McCann, Whiteman, Devine, Lewis, Dobbin; Jebbison

Suggested Bets

We’ve scurried over to the markets and handpicked some prices from reputable English National League sportsbooks. These football betting tips are worth locking in.

  1. Both Teams to Score: Games between Ipswich and Preston are rarely dull affairs, and they are highly frenetic. Although Ipswich fired a blank last time against Preston, the BTTS line is worth pursuing. (21/20 with Quickbet)

  2. Over 2.5 Goals: The Over 2.5 goals line has been met in three of the past four league meetings, so this line has legs to it. (19/25 with All British Casino)

  3. Goal in Both Halves: Apart from the corresponding fixture at Deepdale earlier this season, this game has provided entertainment and goals in both halves, so you should follow up on this. (7/10 with Jeffbet)

Value Bets

  1. Anytime Goalscorer – Jack Clarke: As Ipswich’s top scorer, Jack Clarke has been on fire this season, and he could hit the target against Preston across the 90 minutes. (23/10 with Leovegas)

  2. Preston North End Double Chance: With just one defeat from their last five league clashes with Ipswich, the odds for the Preston double chance line ought to be shorter, but there is value. (19/10 with Betway)

  3. Half-Time Result – Preston North End: The half-time market is always intriguing, and having led at half-time in two of the past three league fixtures, Preston look good value here.

Prediction: Ipswich Town to Win

The Championship table never lies. Six points and seven places separate Ipswich and Preston, but Ipswich are certainly the more in-form team. Just one defeat from their past six league games attests to this, and they aren’t far off the automatic promotion spots.

Preston, on the other hand, have had a miserable past few weeks, and the lack of goals appears to be a problem. Although they beat Ipswich earlier in the campaign, we expect Ipswich to exact revenge and pick up all three points.

Charles Perrin
Charles PerrinSports Betting Writer

Charles Perrin is a seasoned sports and betting journalist with a career built around delivering insightful, engaging, and SEO-savvy content for a global digital audience. With a focus on football, NBA, NHL, golf, and a wide range of other sports, Charles has spent over a decade creating content that blends analysis, tips, and features in a way that keeps readers coming back.