Friday’s football tips: Double your money by going for cards as Blackburn Rovers battle Preston

Fahad Umar
February 19, 2026
1:53 pm

There’s a Lancashire derby tonight in the EFL Championship and the stakes are high with Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End both desperate for the points.

Michael O’Neill has inherited a Rovers side battling against the drop while Preston can move into the promotion play-off places if they can win at Ewood Park.

So the stage is set for a blood-and-thunder battle with so much on the line for both teams.

Blackburn Rovers vs Preston North End top betting tips

There was a fiery clash between these sides at Deepdale last season, with two players sent off and Preston’s Milutin Osmajic retrospectively banned for biting Blackburn’s Owen Beck.

So it was something of a surprise when the next two meetings produced a total of just three yellow cards. I’ve a feeling the bad blood might boil over again tonight, especially if Osmajic is handed a starting slot after scoring off the bench for Preston at the weekend.

That makes over 42.5 booking points a decent option at evens with Betfred while Osmajic is 14/5 at BetMGM for a card if he is indeed unleashed.

The half-time draw is always a good option whenever two local rivals collide and it pays 11/10 with the same firm.

Raith Rovers vs St Johnstone

St Johnstone have the chance to move eight points clear in the SPFL Championship tonight when they take on Raith Rovers in Kirkcaldy.

The leaders had been wobbling a little, with a 1-0 loss at home to Dunfermline followed by the concession of a last-gasp equaliser against title rivals Partick Thistle.

But they got back on track with a 1-0 win at Airdrie in their last league game, although Saints bowed out of the Challenge Cup in midweek on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Ayr.

Rovers haven’t played since the weekend so that extra freshness could be a factor. But Raith have only claimed one victory in their last six matches and are 29/10 outsiders with 888Sport.

St Johnstone are just 27/25 with BetMGM but I’m steering clear of backing a winner in this one and going for corners instead. We saw 11 on St Johnstone’s last visit to Stark’s Park and over nine corners pays 10/11 at Bet365. The same firm also offer evens on over four first-half flag kicks.

Athletic Bilbao vs Elche

Athletic Bilbao have finally found a bit of form and can move up to eighth in La Liga with a home win over Elche tonight.

Juggling Champions League football with domestic commitments has been a problem for the Basques this season but results have picked up since their exit from Europe.

Ernesto Valverde’s men have won three of their last four in all competitions and now host an Elche side who have gone eight matches without a victory.

So it’s no surprise to see the home win at just 4/6 with Betfred, although you can boost the odds to 11/10 at SkyBet by adding on over 1.5 goals.

Elche defender Victor Chust has struggled with his discipline this season, picking up six yellows and a red. That makes him a good candidate for a card tonight at 15/8 with Bet365.

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Super singles

Over 42.5 booking points in Blackburn Rovers vs Preston North End Evens Betfred
Over four first-half corners in Raith Rovers v St Johnstone Evens Bet365
Athletic Bilbao win and over 1.5 goals 11/10 SkyBet