Preston North End and Bristol City square off at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon looking for a victory which will keep them as outsiders for a playoff spot.
As it stands, the two teams are separated by six places and seven points in the Championship standings, but the visitors currently possess one of the longest unbeaten records in the league.
Match preview
© Reuters
Throughout his reign at Bristol City, Nigel Pearson's team has been the epitome of inconsistency, so much in fact that it has been surprising that he has remained in the Ashton Gate dugout.
However, on the back of a run of one win in nine matches, the Robins have responded with a seven-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
While just six points have come from four league encounters, Bristol City comprehensively defeated West Bromwich Albion by a 3-0 scoreline in the FA Cup fourth round last weekend.
Youngster Sam Bell has barely featured all season, but the 20-year-old has chipped in with three strikes versus Swansea City and the Baggies to put himself in contention for a regular spot going forward.
Still just seven points above the relegation zone, Bristol City cannot afford to get ahead of themselves, yet they will edge closer to the mid-table spots if they can get another win on the board on Saturday.
© Reuters
Preston have matched Bristol City for inconsistency this term, with numerous winning and losing streaks being compiled since they posted their last draw on October 1.
Much has been made of Blackburn Rovers' run without a stalemate, but Preston's streak now sits at 17 matches, a period which has seen nine successes and eight defeats.
Ryan Lowe was arguably coming under a bit of pressure until six points were collected from the last three games, victories coming at Stoke City and Birmingham City.
Preston now sit just three points adrift of the top six, and Lowe will want to continue to build momentum ahead of their short trip to rivals Burnley in their following fixture.
Team News
© Reuters
Liam Delap will return to the Preston XI after being cup-tied for the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Josh Onomah is in line to come into the squad, but the former Fulham man is only expected to feature among the replacements.
The team could be similar to the one which edged out Birmingham in the last league outing, although Alvaro Fernandez is pushing for a recall at left wing-back.
After witnessing his side producing one of their best performances of the season versus West Brom, Pearson may be prepared to name the same Bristol City XI.
Should Andreas Weimann and Tommy Conway be fit to return from injury, they will likely be selected on the substitutes' bench, where they may be joined by new arrivals Anis Mehmeti and Harry Cornick.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, McCann, Ledson, Woodburn, Brady; Cannon, Delap
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Atkinson, Dasilva; James, Naismith; Sykes, Scott, Bell; Wells
We say: Preston North End 1-2 Bristol City
Both of these teams have been unpredictable all season and it makes it difficult to predict a result with any confidence. That said, we can only back the visitors, who have momentum after outplaying in-form West Brom in the FA Cup last weekend and are performing better on their travels than Preston are at Deepdale.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
