On the back of a frenetic triumph over Leeds United, Preston North End seek back-to-back Championship victories when Sheffield Wednesday head to Deepdale on Friday night.
Ryan Lowe's men overcame the 10-man Whites 2-1 in the early Boxing Day kickoff, while the Owls were seen off 2-0 by Coventry City.
Match preview
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Preston's magnificent six-game winning streak at the start of the season may now be a distant memory, but the Deepdale outfit proved on Boxing Day that they are still capable of going toe-to-toe with the big hitters of the division, having emerged triumphant in a second half of chaos against Leeds on December 26.
Four minutes after Illan Meslier was banished for a foolish hand into the face of Milutin Osmajic, Alan Browne headed home the game's opening goal, but a confident Pascal Struijk penalty would ostensibly see 10-man Leeds travel back to base with a slice of the spoils.
However, Liam Millar had other ideas, cutting inside from the left and picking out the top corner with a sumptuous 89th-minute strike, which propelled Lowe's side to just their fourth victory from their last 17 Championship matches and ended their disheartening three-game losing home sequence.
Such is the extremely tight nature of the Championship standings that only one point separates ninth-placed Preston from the playoff spots, but just one defeat could demote Lowe's men to as low as 14th, rendering every point crucial at this stage of proceedings.
Success over Leeds may have enhanced Preston's playoff credentials, but Struijk's spot kick means that the hosts are still searching for their first home clean sheet of the new term, and not since a 2-0 beating of Cardiff City in March have they kept the opposition at bay at Deepdale.
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Speaking of teams being kept at arm's length, Sheffield Wednesday's attacking punch was nullified when they butted heads with last season's losing playoff finalists Coventry City, as everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Danny Rohl's charges.
Two goals either side of the break from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto did the damage on a day where Sheffield Wednesday also lost Callum Paterson to injury and Bambo Diaby to a late red card for a fracas with Liam Kitching, who was also made to take the walk of shame for his role in the incident.
The Owls would do well to banish thoughts of Boxing Day's defeat from their minds as they seek to move forward in the fight against demotion - a marathon battle which they are currently coming out on the wrong end of, occupying 23rd place with a nine-point chasm to safety.
Ever since bouncing back up to the second tier in the summer, Sheffield Wednesday have become associated with abysmal performances on the road, losing eight of their last nine contests away from Hillsborough and scoring just six times on rival turf thus far; only Rotherham United possess an equally poor attacking return.
In addition, four of Sheffield Wednesday's last five battles with Preston have ended in defeat - including a 1-0 reverse at Hillsborough this summer - and only one of the Owls' last 23 league games away to Friday's hosts has seen the visitors come out on top.
Team News
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Only two infirm players are at risk of missing out for Preston in their final fixture of 2023, as Robbie Brady was unavailable for the win over Leeds due to a knock picked up against Swansea City and will need a once-over in the coming hours.
Emil Riis Jakobsen has spent most of 2023 in the care of the doctors, having been recuperating from an ACL injury since January, but he has finally returned to training after some complications and ought to be back in action at some point in the New Year.
In an ideal world, Lowe would surely send out the same XI who got the job done against Leeds, although Ched Evans and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen could provide some fresh legs in the forward areas if need be.
While Lowe may or may not tinker with his tactics, Rohl will be forced into a couple of alterations, as former Preston defender Diaby begins a three-game suspension for his red card on Boxing Day; Michael Ihiekwe should fill the void at the back.
Paterson's afternoon was cut short with just 22 minutes on the clock due to a head injury, and having already spent time out with concussion in the past, Rohl has suggested that it may be a couple of weeks before the forward is cleared to feature again.
Juan Delgado (hip), Josh Windass (muscle), Mallik Wilks (muscle), Momo Diaby (leg), Dominic Iorfa (leg) and John Buckley (shoulder) are also taking up beds in the treatment room, and Anthony Musaba should be called upon to deputise for Paterson here.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Lindsay, Whatmough, Hughes; Potts, Whiteman, McCann, Millar; Browne, Holmes; Osmajic
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Dawson; Palmer, Ihiekwe, Bernard, Famewo; Bannan, Vaulks, Bakinson; Musaba, Cadamarteri, Johnson
We say: Preston North End 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Weakened by Paterson's injury and Diaby's suspension, a Sheffield Wednesday side who were already struggling to make waves on the road are destined to endure another miserable away day on Friday.
Despite their recent inconsistency, Preston could also enjoy the belated Christmas gift of a first home clean sheet of the 2023-24 season, and potentially a surge back into the playoff spots if other results go in their favour.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
