Preston are now going on a series of five matches without defeat. In the League Cup, Preston have a confident defeat of modest Harrogate, a dry victory over Championship leaders Sunderland and knocked out Fulham in a penalty shootout. Nothing supernatural, but it looks decent for a perennial mid-table side.
Arsenal twice took the lead against Liverpool and twice failed to keep the score down. And there are four away matches ahead, of which only this one is easy. Therefore, Mikel Arteta will try to save his strength. After the international break, Arsenal have only one win in three matches. And that was only a minimal one over Shakhtar in the Champions League. The guests’ shape is not ideal at the moment.
Arsenal’s defense may undergo a lot of personnel experiments, which will not add to its reliability. Even Bolton scored in the League Cup. And Preston have now improved in performance and can be dangerous in front of goal.