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

Preston North End and Bristol City meet in the Championship on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will leave them looking forward rather than back towards the relegation zone.

While the home side sit in 16th place in the Championship table, Bristol City make the trip to Deepdale in 11th position.

Match preview

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When Preston were 3-0 up at Plymouth Argyle last weekend, Paul Heckingbottom would have felt delighted with the trajectory of his side.

Five days later and Preston have let slip that aforementioned lead and suffered a one-sided 3-0 reverse at the hands of Arsenal in the EFL Cup fourth round.

With an advantage having also disappeared against Norwich City in the previous game before that double-header, Heckingbottom will acknowledge that he has a job on his hands to inspire a change of mentality.

For now, Preston are three points clear of the relegation zone, but they have been heavily reliant on 11 points coming from their six matches at Deepdale.

Their only defeat came at the hands of Sheffield United on the opening weekend of the campaign, with their unbeaten league streak at Deepdale now lasting more than two-and-a-half months.

Meanwhile, Bristol City make the trip to the North-West having put together a seven-match unbeaten streak in the Championship.

After the passing of his unborn son led to a small period away from the dugout, Liam Manning returned for last weekend's Ashton Gate showdown with Leeds United.

The Robins were able to secure a commendable goalless draw against the Yorkshire giants, extending their unbeaten home record in the league to six games.

Given that five points have been collected from their most recent three fixtures on their travels, Manning will be optimistic that his Bristol City players can deliver at Deepdale and catapult the club closer to the playoff positions.

Team News

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Having switched to a back four for the game with Arsenal, Preston boss Heckingbottom may revert to a more familiar three for this contest.

Jordan Storey and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen are among the players who could be handed a recall in defence and midfield respectively.

Robbie Brady is likely to spend a period on the sidelines with the ankle injury that he sustained at Plymouth, while Milutin Osmajic remains absent through suspension.

With Ross McCrorie suffering another hamstring injury, Kal Naismith is expected to be recalled to the Bristol City XI. That will be at either centre-back or as a makeshift left wing-back.

Sinclair Armstrong may be considered for a return in attack, but Manning will not overly-tinker with his starting lineup from the Leeds game.

Preston North End possible starting lineup: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Kesler-Hayden, Frokjaer-Jensen, Whiteman, McCann, Brady; Riis, Greenwood

Bristol City possible starting lineup: O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, McNally; Sykes, McGuane, Knight, Naismith; Hirakawa, Bird; Armstrong

We say: Preston North End 1-1 Bristol City

Although Preston have generally performed well at Deepdale this season, it remains to be seen how they will react to shipping so many goals in their last two games. With that in mind, we feel Bristol City will earn a share of the spoils in what may peter out into a low-scoring draw.

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