Two of the Championship's playoff hopefuls meet at Deepdale on Tuesday night as Preston North End host Swansea City under the lights in Lancashire.
Swansea City will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to four games in the second tier, whereas Preston will be hoping for a repeat of home victory last time out which came at the expense of Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough.
Match preview
© Reuters
After a humbling 4-2 defeat against local rivals Blackpool just over a week ago, Preston North End desperately needed three points at home to Boro and courtesy of Jordan Storey's last-minute winner, that is exactly what they got last time out.
A home maximum on Saturday ended a worrying run of three defeats in the last four, and maintained the Lilywhites' position in the top half of the Championship table, with Ryan Lowe's side sitting 10th in the second tier after 18 matches.
Despite conceding in five of the last six Championship fixtures, Preston still possess the joint-best defensive record in the Championship with only 15 goals allowed, the same number as fellow mid-table dwellers Birmingham City.
However, Lowe's men have only managed to score 13 times so far this campaign in 18 outings, a league-low total, with a mere four goals in their nine matches at Deepdale.
If Preston are to mount a playoff push this season, Lowe will need to get his side scoring without discarding a defensive solidity that has characterised the majority of their performances, especially in the very early stages of the campaign.
© Reuters
Olivier Ntcham's 76th-minute strike rescued a point for Swansea at Bristol City last time out, extending the Swans' unbeaten run to three games and keeping them just inside the playoffs with 28 points from 17 matches.
Russell Martin's men dominated possession at Ashton Gate but managed just three shots on target, a total less than their hosts who only saw 28% of the ball, once again showing that Swansea still have improvements to make in order to secure maximums from enough games to finish inside the top six this year.
That second-half strike from Ntchman was his fourth of the season, meaning he joined Joel Piroe at the top of the Swans' scoring charts despite only starting six games in the Championship in the opening half of this season.
Although a stalemate with Bristol City was not the most exciting result, it did continue Swansea's impressive long-term form, with the Welsh side enjoying a spell of only one loss in the last eight second-tier matches, a record that only Millwall and leaders Burnley can match.
Team News
© Reuters
Preston will be without the services of Troy Parrott who suffered a hamstring injury in the win at Norwich City at the beginning of October, with the Irishman expected to be back after the World Cup break.
Defender Liam Lindsay provided two assists against Middlesbrough on Saturday but will need to avoid a fifth yellow card of the season and a subsequent one-match suspension when Swansea City visit on Tuesday night.
Swansea will welcome back talisman Piroe to the matchday squad after he served his three-game ban for a direct red card in the 4-0 loss away at Burnley, with the Dutchman likely to replace Oliver Cooper in the starting XI.
Ryan Manning played the second half at Ashton Gate on his return from injury and should be handed a place in the starting XI at Preston, replacing youngster Nathan Wood.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Potts, Storey, Lindsay, Fernandez; McCann, Ledson, Browne; Brady, Woodburn, Jakobsen
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Benda; Manning, Darling, Cabango; Latibeaudiere, Grimes, Fulton, Sorinola; Ntcham, Piroe, Obafemi
We say: Preston North End 1-2 Swansea City
Preston North End need to find consistency if they are to mount a promotion challenge this season and games at Deepdale are the type that Lowe's men need to be picking up three points in more regularly.
Swansea are in great form and the likely inclusions of Ntcham and Piroe in their starting XI should fire Martin's side to all three points on Tuesday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Carter White
