Preston North End meet Queens Park Rangers in the Championship on Friday evening looking to bounce back from successive defeats since returning from the international break.
At a time when the home side sit in seventh position in the standings, QPR are 22nd, albeit having got back to winning ways earlier this week.
Match preview
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While Preston have reached this stage of the season in a position that their supporters would have jumped at before the campaign had started, that is not to say that they will be happy with their progress.
Just two victories - directly before the international break - have been recorded in 11 games, with momentum being lost even though they still sit just points adrift of third.
Losing 2-1 with 10 men to two last-gasp goals against Cardiff City took the wind out of their sails before they were on the receiving end of a 4-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.
Having been blitzed during the first half, Preston were arguably fortunate to depart the Riverside Stadium with that scoreline, and Ryan Lowe has a job on his hands to rouse his players ahead of this contest.
Although Preston have collected 17 points from their nine matches at Deepdale, just one victory, against previously-struggling Coventry City, has been posted in five outings.
QPR fans are still not sure what to make of their club appointing Marti Cifuentes as their new head coach, with the move being very much left-field given the options that they had at their disposal.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard now has five points from his first four outings after his team registered a 4-2 victory over Stoke City on Tuesday night, posting their first success at Loftus Road since March.
The West Londoners were aided by their opponents being down to 10 men before scoring three goals from the 79th minute onwards, yet it was the kind of turnaround that helps build momentum.
Remarkably, it was the first time in 13 attempts that QPR had scored more than once in a game, stretching back to September 2, while they have also conceded just four goals in as many fixtures under Cifuentes.
Team News
While Lowe rung the changes at half time and afterwards once Preston were 3-0 down at Middlesbrough, that is not to say that he will overly tinker with his side for this match.
That said, Alan Browne, Duane Holmes and Ben Woodburn are all options to come into the midfield and final third, with Robbie Brady an option at left wing-back having served a one-game ban.
Lowe must also decide whether to risk the recently-returned Calvin Ramsey from the start as a replacement for Brad Potts, who serves a suspension of his own for five yellow cards.
Meanwhile, Reggie Cannon and Chris Willock will feel that they have put themselves in contention for a QPR recall after strong showings as substitutes versus Stoke.
Although Cifuentes may introduce more fresh legs due to the quick turnaround, major alterations are unlikely after Tuesday's win.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Ramsey, Whiteman, Browne, Brady; Holmes, Frokjaer-Jensen; Osmajic
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Cannon, Cook, Dunne, Paal; Colback, Field, Dixon-Bonner; Willock, Dykes, Chair
We say: Preston North End 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
With QPR looking like they are building momentum under their new management, they will fancy their chances of back-to-back wins in quick succession. However, we are backing Preston to get marginally back on track with a share of the spoils, a result that may also be deemed acceptable by the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
