Preview: Preston North End vs. Cardiff City - prediction, team news, lineups

Preston North End and Cardiff City square off at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon locked on the same amount of points in the Championship table.

The home side, who occupy the final playoff spot, are without a win in four games, while the the Bluebirds have put together a three-match unbeaten streak either side of the enforced break.

Match preview

Earlier in the season, Alex Neil was receiving widespread plaudits for the job he has done at Preston, while Neil Harris found himself under criticism from a large section of Cardiff's fanbase soon after replacing Neil Warnock.

However, those perceptions have changed in a matter of months, with Preston now struggling to remain in the top six and Cardiff putting themselves into the mix with seven points from a possible nine.

The mood at each club will switch again if Preston get back on track this weekend, and they could be motivated by the frustration of having conceded so late at Luton Town last weekend.

Scott Sinclair's second goal since his January arrival from Celtic had put Preston on the way to all three points, only for James Bree to net with three minutes remaining.

Nevertheless, with Bristol City and Millwall both losing elsewhere, it was enough for the North-West outfit to retain hold of sixth spot, as well as remaining within four points of Nottingham Forest.

Further down the line, they may need Forest to drop back into the pack to boost their chances of promotion, but their priority at the weekend will be to ensure that their opponents do not build any extra momentum.

Many expected Cardiff to underperform and suffer defeat at their deserted home stadium against league leaders Leeds United, a result which would have left the club down in 11th spot.

However, strikes either side of the break from Junior Hoilett and Robert Glatzel have moved Cardiff to the brink of a playoff spot, something previously deemed unlikely given their accumulation of 15 draws this season.

There is a lot of hard work ahead for Cardiff, especially when taking into consideration that five of their next six games come against teams who they will consider to be rivals for the top six.

That said, as long as they continue on their upward trajectory, none of those clubs will relish a meeting with one of the form sides in the division.

Preston North End Championship form: LWLLLD

Cardiff City Championship form: DLLDWW

Team News

Paul Gallagher will continue to line up in Preston's midfield having signed a contract until the end of the season.

Chances are expected to be few and far between, but Sean Maguire could drop out of the side to accommodate the return of Darnell Fisher.

Despite last weekend's success over Leeds, Harris may hand recalls to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Glatzel.

That could see Albert Adomah and Callum Paterson drop down to the substitutes' bench.

Preston North End possible starting lineup: Rudd; Fisher, Bauer, Davies, Hughes; Johnson, Pearson, Gallagher; Browne, Barkhuizen, Sinclair

Cardiff City possible starting lineup: Smithies; Sanderson, Nelson, Morrison, Bennett; Ralls, Vaulks, Bacuna; Mendez-Laing, Hoilett, Glatzel

We say: Preston North End 1-1 Cardiff City

Despite their contrasting recent fortunes, this may be the ideal contest for Preston to raise their game. Combined with Cardiff being hard-pressed to replicate their performance against Leeds, this fixture could end in a low-scoring draw.