Preston are back in action on Monday, hosting West Bromwich Albion at Deepdale.
What looked like a top of the table clash a couple of weeks ago now looks a little different. North End were second in the table coming out of the international break, but now sit sixth.
Defeats at Derby County and Hull City have seen North End slip off the pace, with Leeds United, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City leapfrogging Alex Neil’s side.
Wednesday’s 4-0 thrashing at Hull City as the heaviest defeat of the Neil era, so a response is needed. Sadly, defensive injuries mean Preston enter the game decimated, but at least it’s a home game.
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Preston have been sensational at home this season, dropping just four points. Hopefully, North End can use that record their advantage on Monday night, but it’s going to be a tough ask.
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West Brom have won four games in a row, and are the only team in the league to have scored more goals than Preston. The likes of Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira are thriving under Slaven Bilic, and the Baggies look like a solid bet for promotion.
Now, Bilic has offered his view on Preston. Speaking to West Brom’s official website, Bilic admitted that he thinks Preston are ‘very, very good’, and believes this is a difficult game because of Preston’s home record, with some concern about how many goals North End score – even after two blanks in a row.
“They have maybe the best home record. Seven wins and two draws, I think that’s the best. We don’t have it at home, and we are good at home,” said Bilic. “So they are a good team. They score a lot of goals. Their last two results have not been good but especially at home they are very, very good.”
“Again, it’s a difficult one. But we have to hope, we have to believe, we have to suffer a little bit together on the pitch. And we have to stay humble, stay positive, and at the same time be very front-footed. We have to do everything we can not to lose this momentum that we have at the moment because we’ve worked really hard for it, and now we want to keep it forever or as long as possible,” he added.