Preston North End’s good run of form has put them in a promising position ahead of the final 12 games of the season. Recent wins against other teams competing for promotion has given fans renewed hope that something special could be on the cards this campaign.
There is a feeling of de ja vu when it comes to Preston flirting with the top six in the Championship. Many times before we have shown promise, gone on a good run, and looked like we could sneak into the play-offs before falling away at the crucial time.
This season North End started incredibly well, and found themselves top of the table in September. The form quickly tailed off before becoming very patchy. The turn of the year saw many fans turn against Ryan Lowe, but four wins in the last five have pushed The Lilywhites back into the mix.
Wins against Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough and Coventry City especially have shown Preston can deliver big results. Emil Riis, Will Keane, Mads Frokjaer and Liam Millar have particularly been impressing, and even with a number of injuries, the team have been picking up crucial points.
Preston (8th) v Hull City (6th)
On Saturday, Preston welcome Hull City to Deepdale. The Tigers currently occupy 6th place in the Championship. They are three points ahead of Preston, which means a win for Ryan Lowe’s side would bring them level. Although Hull currently do have a far superior goal difference, +5 as opposed to -7.
It feels like a six pointer, a win for Hull would give them a six point lead ahead of Preston, which would psychologically be a blow with just 11 games left after this. But there is another team that Preston could still catch as well.
West Bromwich Albion (5th) v Coventry City (9th)
On Friday night, West Brom face Coventry. The Baggies are currently 5th on 56 points, four ahead of Preston. Coventry are in 9th, one point behind North End after their defeat last week. Any result here, can be seen as a positive for the Lancashire side, providing they can pick up three points against Hull.
West Brom lose and Preston could be one point behind them with a win. A draw between the two Midlands sides and North End could be two points behind, whilst if West Brom win, Coventry would be dropping away from the play-off picture ever so slightly.
Norwich City (7th) v Sunderland (10th)
Two more sides looking to break into that top six are Norwich and Sunderland. The Canaries have been in great form in 2024 with just one defeat in the league.
Sunderland find themselves onto their third manager of the season. Mike Dodds is in interim charge until the end of the season after they chose to dispose of Michael Beale after just 14 games.
Norwich are on the same points as Preston, whilst Sunderland are five points further back in 10th place. The Black Cats have lost the last three games, and will need to pick up points soon to keep up with the chasing pack.
All three of the above games will have a big impact on the play-off picture, and come Saturday evening we will have a much clearer idea of who is in pole position to grab one of the spots.
Preston still have Norwich to face before the end of the season as well, whilst the last fixture presents a potentially huge matchup as North End will travel to West Brom.