Preston North End and Bristol City will both be looking to end poor runs of form in their Championship clash at Deepdale.

The Merseysiders lost 2-1 to Derby County, while the Robins fell to a 4-2 defeat to Birmingham City on Saturday.

Preston

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Simon Grayson's men had a bright start to the campaign when they took five points from their opening three matches, including a 1-0 victory over MK Dons.

However, since their 0-0 draw against Rotherham United on August 18, the club have lost their last three matches on the spin in the Championship.

Preston's win over Watford in the Capital One Cup did provide brief respite from their struggles in the league, although they will face further Premier League competition in the next round.

The Merseysiders went down to a brace from Chris Martin in their defeat to Derby on Saturday at Deepdale. Daniel Johnson scored a very late strike to give them a glimmer of hope, but the home side slipped to their third loss of the campaign.

Grayson's men's problem this season has been scoring goals as they have netted just three times in their six matches. An injury to striker Jermaine Beckford has been at the root of the difficulty, but fellow forwards Joe Garner and Paul Gallagher have struggled to find their form.

Preston were handed a tough schedule of matches in their first six matches, taking on several of the favourites for promotion from the Championship, including Hull City, Ipswich Town and Derby in their last three games.

Although the Merseysiders will be disappointed by their defeats, Grayson and his players will know that they will not face the best teams in the division every week. Their clash against fellow newly-promoted side City will present a great chance for them to get back to winning ways.

Recent form: DWDLLL
Recent form (all competitions): WDLWLL

Bristol City

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The Robins have struggled just as much as Preston following their promotion to the second tier as they have claimed just four points from their opening six matches.

Steve Cotterill's men's only win came over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium when Joe Bryan fired them to victory to ease the pressure on the team after they began the season with back-to-back defeats.

However, the Robins have lost their last two matches to Burnley and Birmingham City to leave them just one place above the relegation zone.

City's main issue this season has been conceding goals as they have allowed 14 strikes into their net, the joint-highest in the Championship with Rotherham United. Their poor defensive record has seen them concede four goals twice in their defeats to Brentford and Birmingham on Saturday.

Cotterill has moved to address their poor form at the back by adding defenders Liam Moore and Nathan Baker to his squad from Leicester City and Aston Villa respectively on loan moves.

The form of Jonathan Kodjia has been a bright spot for Cotterill's side in the early stages of the campaign as he has scored four goals, including a brace in their 4-2 defeat at St Andrew's. The City boss will be hopeful that he can continue his form throughout the season.

The Robins' only win of the campaign came away from home, but they have lost to Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham on their travels as well as Luton Town in the Capital One Cup.

It is difficult to spot trends early in the season, but Cotterill will want to establish a solid foundation for a survival push, starting with their trip to Deepdale.

Recent form: LLDWLL
Recent form (all competitions): LLDWLL

Team News

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Preston will be without Beckford for the match and for the majority of the campaign after he underwent surgery on his knee, while Gallagher is also a doubt with a groin injury.

However, Jordan Hugill and Kyel Reid could return to the fold after missing the match against Derby at the weekend with knocks.

Stevie May and Eoin Doyle could also make their first starts for the club after making substitute appearances against the Rams.

Robins forward Wes Burns could be ruled out of the match due to a thigh injury he sustained in training last week, while Baker and Moore will continue at the back after making their first starts for the club at St Andrew's.

Preston possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Vermijl, Clarke, Huntington, Wright; Cunningham, Welsh, Kilkenny, Johnson; May, Garner

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Fielding, Ayling, Moore, Flint, Baker, Bryan, K.Smith, Pack, Freeman, Wilbraham, Kodjia

Head To Head

In the last meeting between the two sides, Aaron Wilbraham rescued a point for the Robins when he cancelled out Beckford's strike in a 1-1 draw at Deepdale.

Preston won the first match between the teams earlier last season as a Callum Robinson strike was enough to secure a 1-0 win at Ashton Gate.

Over the course of history, Preston's win last season has given them the edge as they have won 27 of the contests compared to City's 26, while 28 of the matches have ended in draws.

We say: Preston 2-1 Bristol City

Preston will be targeting the match to get back to winning ways at Deepdale, having come through a tough run of fixtures. Grayson's men may just have the edge in the clash to secure their second win of the season in what will be a hard-fought contest.

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