Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Deepdale carries enormous weight at both ends of the Championship table. Preston North End, rooted to the foot of the division, host a West Bromwich Albion side sitting comfortably in the play-off places and capable of pushing into the automatic promotion spots if results go their way. The numbers ahead of this fixture paint a picture that is unforgiving for the hosts and quietly compelling for the visitors.

Preston's precarious position

The Lilywhites are adrift at the bottom of the Championship by two points and trail safety by five. That alone would concentrate the mind, but the recent record against Saturday's opponents makes their task feel even steeper.

Preston have won just one of their last eight home league games against West Brom, a 1-0 victory back in October 2022. In the same run of meetings, West Brom have won six of the last seven (D1), conceding a mere three goals across those fixtures. Defensive solidity away from home has, in other words, been the Baggies' calling card at Deepdale in recent memory.

The wider season-long data is equally sobering for Preston. The Lilywhites have lost more Championship games in 2026 than any other club in the division, 20 in total, including five of their last six (D1). To find a worse calendar-year record, you have to go all the way back to 2011, when they surrendered 21 league fixtures across the whole year. That is the kind of statistical company no club wants to keep.

West Brom's momentum and their remarkable resilience

The Baggies arrive in Lancashire with back-to-back league wins under their belt. Should they make it three victories in a row, they would be registering three consecutive wins within the same season for the first time since September 2024, which underlines how consistent this particular run of form is by the standards of their recent campaigns.

What makes West Brom genuinely difficult to shake this season, however, is not just what happens when they are on top. It is what happens when they fall behind. The Baggies have accumulated 10 points from losing positions in the Championship this term, the highest total in the entire division. That figure is already two more than they managed across the entirety of the 2025-26 season, when their total from comeback situations was just eight. The "comeback kings" tag that has been applied to them this term is backed up convincingly by the data.

A fixture that defines trajectories

For Preston, Saturday is not just three points. It is a credibility fixture. A win would lift them off the bottom of the table, close the gap on the sides above them and provide the sort of morale injection a group that has endured a deeply difficult 2026 badly needs. Losing, or even drawing, does not mathematically end anything at this stage of the season, but the psychological cost of another setback against a direct rival for the top half would be hard to overstate.

West Brom, by contrast, play with the freedom that comes with playing for something positive. A third consecutive win nudges them closer to the automatic promotion places and reinforces the sense that their strong points-from-losing-positions return reflects genuine character in the squad rather than circumstance. The Baggies conceded just three goals across their last seven league meetings against Preston. If that defensive discipline travels well on Saturday, it is difficult to see where the Lilywhites' equaliser, let alone a winner, comes from.

Kick-off at Deepdale is at 15:00 BST.

Frequently asked

When do Preston North End play West Brom?
Preston host West Brom on Saturday 25 October 2026, with kick-off at 15:00 BST at Deepdale.
How many Championship games have Preston lost in 2026?
Preston have lost 20 Championship matches in 2026, more than any other club in the division, including five of their last six fixtures.
How many points has West Brom won from losing positions this season?
West Brom have won 10 points from losing positions in the Championship this season, the highest total in the division and already two more than they managed across the whole of their previous campaign.