Preston North End will be aiming to secure their first win of the month when they welcome Wigan Athletic to Deepdale on Saturday afternoon in the Championship.
Both sides endured goalless draws in their last outings, with Preston earning a point at Hull City, while Wigan held promoting-chasing Norwich City to a single point.
Match preview
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Preston's hopes of achieving a top-six finish this season are beginning to fade after a run of four games without a win in the Championship this month.
The two most recent fixtures for the Lilywhites have ended in shares of the spoils - with Luton Town and Hull respectively - although Ryan Lowe will realise it is regular wins that are needed to keep their playoff dreams alive.
The Lancashire-based club are currently 14th in the Championship standings having collected 42 points from 32 matches, a tally which leaves them eight points off sixth-placed Luton heading into this weekend.
Despite possessing a comfortable position in the table, North End's home form this term is more like that of a side battling to avoid relegation, with the Lilywhites having earned a mere 14 points from 16 Deepdale clashes to date.
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Wigan Athletic have twisted once more in the managerial market, with club legend Shaun Maloney the man tasked with keeping a club steeped in history in the second tier of English football.
January signings on the pitch and in the dugout have combined to produce improved performances for the Latics, with the side now four games unbeaten in the Championship since they sacked Kolo Toure.
Six points from that quartet of Maloney fixtures is a ratio that if continued would ensure second-tier safety for another season, however with many of the bottom sides earning wins in recent games, the scrap for survival looks set to be hotly contested.
Despite being bottom of the league table heading into this weekend, Wigan are just four points away from 21st-placed Cardiff and also have a game in hand on the large majority of their relegation rivals.
Team News
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Preston have limited striking options after Dane Emil Riis Jakobsen was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a cruciate ligament injury, with the attacking burden now heavier on the likes of Robbie Brady.
Forward Ched Evans remains suspended for the Lilywhites, with the 34-year-old having his best season of his career in terms of goals in the Championship, having netted seven times.
Wigan will be fretting over the fitness of centre-back Omar Rekik ahead of this weekend - the Tunisian is a doubt for the clash at Deepdale due to a knock picked up earlier in the month.
The Latics will definitely be without one centre-back option, with Martin Kelly sidelined for the rest of the season after sustaining a nasty knee injury after making the loan switch from West Bromwich Albion.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Lindsay, Cunningham, Diaby; Potts, Ledson, Woodburn, Fernandez, Browne; Delap, Cannon
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Amos; Hughes, Caulker, Nyambe; Darikwa, Power, Tiehi, McClean, Lang; Keane, Fletcher
We say: Preston North End 0-1 Wigan Athletic
Preston will be targeting this fixture as a must win in order to close the gap on the playoffs, but considering their home form, three points are nowhere near a given on Saturday.
Wigan have improved markedly since the arrival of Maloney earlier this month, and we believe that they will earn all three points to lift themselves off the bottom of the Championship table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
