Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End meet on Friday evening looking for the victory which will strengthen their bid for the Championship playoffs.
While 12th-placed Preston are nine points adrift of the playoff places, Blackburn are just six points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth with a game in hand.
Match preview
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There was a time earlier in the season when Blackburn were the most entertaining side in the Championship, conceding nearly as many goals at one end as they were scoring at the other.
However, Tony Mowbray has seemingly put in the work to tighten his backline, which has shipped just four goals from their last six fixtures in the Championship.
Fewer strikes are being scored by his previously ruthless attack, but a return of 10 points from their most recent batch of games has been enough to put them back into contention for promotion.
While the 1-0 reverse at Queens Park Rangers was a disappointment, Rovers will heap the pressure on Bournemouth should they be able to record another three points at Ewood Park.
Remarkably, Blackburn have scored just one first-half goal since December 9, a run which needs ending sooner rather than later.
Scoring during the opening 45 minutes is also not common practice for Preston, whose only first-half strike in 2021 has come from the penalty spot.
With just one win being posted from seven matches in all competitions, Alex Neil is aware that something must change in the short term if Preston are to remain in the hunt for the top six.
Preston have scored just eight times in 13 outings, although four of their five wins during that period have come with the added bonus of a clean sheet.
Blackburn prevailed in the reverse fixture back on November 24, cruising to a 3-0 win after Joe Rafferty's 44th-minute dismissal.
Blackburn Rovers Championship form: LWDWWL
Blackburn Rovers form (all competitions): WLDWWL
Preston North End Championship form: LLWDLL
Preston North End form (all competitions): LLWDLL
Team News
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Neil could introduce top goalscorer Scott Sinclair back into his Preston starting lineup, most likely as a replacement for Anthony Gordon.
The rest of the side could stay the same, leaving Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg waiting for his first start in the Championship.
Mowbray is expected to make changes to his Blackburn XI, which may include Bradley Dack being handed his first start since the middle of January.
Ben Brereton could replace Sam Gallagher in attack, but Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis may remain on the substitutes' bench.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan, Branthwaite, Bell; Rothwell, Travis, Dack; Brereton, Elliott, Armstrong
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Rafferty, Huntington, Lindsay, Hughes; Whiteman, Ledson; Barkhuizen, Molumby, Sinclair; Evans
We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Preston North End
Both of these teams have been inconsistent throughout the campaign, making it difficult to predict a result with much confidence. Although Blackburn head into this fixture in better form, we would not be surprised to see the visitors claim a share of the spoils, forcing a result which does not suit either club.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 46.91%. A win for Preston North End had a probability of 26.6% and a draw had a probability of 26.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.32%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.05%) and 2-0 (8.9%). The likeliest Preston North End win was 0-1 (8.68%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 6.4% likelihood.
