Preston vs Bristol City predictions: More comeback woes for North End
- Preston have taken 11 points from their last five home fixtures in the league
- Only Burnley & Leeds have lost fewer Championship games than Bristol City this term
- Recommended bet: Half Time/Full Time - Preston/Tie
Preston will be looking to bounce back from recent setbacks when they welcome a hard-to-beat Bristol City to Deepdale in the Championship on Saturday.
North End have led 2-0 against Norwich and 3-0 at Plymouth in their last two league fixtures, but ended up drawing both games, while they warmed up for this clash by being convincingly beaten by Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.
Mid-table Bristol City have only lost two of their 12 Championship matches — the same amount as league leaders Sunderland — but they have struggled to convert draws into victories.
Team news
Preston will be without the experienced Robbie Brady for this one after the Republic of Ireland international sustained an ankle injury in last weekend's dramatic draw at Plymouth, while Milutin Osmajic once again misses out through suspension.
Bristol City full-back Ross McCrorie suffered a hamstring injury in the draw with Leeds and will miss this game as a result, but fellow defenders Rob Atkinson, Haydon Roberts and Rob Dickie are back in training after recent layoffs.
Cam Pring (leg), Scott Twine (unspecified), Sam Bell and Ayman Benarous (both hamstring) all remain unavailable for the Robins.
The stats
Preston are unbeaten in their last five Championship home matches since going down 2-0 to Sheffield United on the opening night of the new season.
Paul Heckingbottom's side have drawn three of their last four Championship games and surrendered leads in the two most recent of those against Norwich and Plymouth.
Bristol City are unbeaten in their last seven Championship games, but they have drawn five of their last six, while no team has shared the spoils more often than Liam Manning's side in the second tier this season.
Preston won the most recent meeting between these two sides 2-0 at Deepdale in January, but that is their only victory across the last seven head-to-heads, while six of the last 11 clashes have finished all-square.
Prediction
Heckingbottom will have been tearing his hair out after Preston threw away leads to draw against both Norwich and Plymouth, with North End having been in front at half-time in both those games.
While he will be doing all he can to ensure his side are not on the receiving end of a similar fightback against Bristol City, the Robins are draw specialists and came from 2-0 down at the break to draw 2-2 with Stoke in their last away fixture.
Nine of Bristol City's 14 league goals have come in the second half of matches this season, further proof that they tend to come on strong, and they may well be able to battle back to earn a point from their trip to Lancashire.
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