Rotherham vs Preston Betting Tips

Rotherham have lost each of their opening two games to MK Dons and Nottingham Forest. It isn’t clear right now how bad or good those defeats are, but it’s never positive to lose 4-1 at home to a newly promoted team. Still, manager Steve Evans was reportedly more positive about the performance in the 2-1 away defeat to Notts Forest.

This is a team that finished one place clear of the relegation places last season. They always look a little fragile defensively and while they usually create a few chances, they lack the cutting edge in front of goal. Evans is expected to name the same, or a similar XI for the contest after the performance at the City Ground.

Their opponent on Tuesday night is another newly promoted competitor in Preston. They’ve enjoyed plenty of early success drawing with Middlesbrough and then beating MK Dons. They’ve proven that they can nullify some of the Championship’s strongest attacks.

There’s nothing pretty about Preston’s football, they’ll use the long ball and they’ll cramp up any part of the field that they can. They had only just over 40% possession against Middlesbrough, but held their high-powered opponents to zero shots on target. They had even less than 40% of the ball away against MK Dons, but a goal from Gallagher ensured that they collected their first win in the league since 2011.

It feels like the lack of invention and creativity in midfield will probably hold Preston back from seriously challenging for a playoff place, or an unlikely promotion to the English Premier League. However, the early signs are that this is a squad that belongs in the Championship and that they’ll be a difficult opponent in all of their matches this season.

Considering the respective starts for each of these teams, it’s easy to see Preston taking advantage of a Rotherham team lacking early confidence and stealing another victory here. They’re the away team and they’ll enjoy matching up against a team that knows they need to get on the board to kickstart their campaign.

Our betting tips anticipate that Preston will grab a goal from a set piece or something along those lines, while restricting and stifling Rotherham’s attacking threat.