This is another fixture in which both sides desperately need points, with Preston battling to beat the drop while Leeds are looking to gain a second successive promotion. As the season finale approaches, the tension is certainly mounting and Preston in particular know that defeat is unavoidable as they sit rooted to the bottom of the league.
Preston are very similar to fellow strugglers Sheffield United in the way that many people feel their form must turn around soon. The Lilywhites have been struggling for months and the very fact that Phil Brown has yet to taste victory as manager speaks volumes about their failures. However, the situation is now becoming extremely serious and with twelve games remaining, Brown’s men sit ten points adrift of safety. Considering the fact they have not won since the start of December, survival seems an extremely tough target. There’s no doubt that Brown has made the club much harder to beat, with the statistic of four draws from their last five showing that. However, at this stage of the season that is not enough and Preston’s fortunes have to change in the next couple of weeks if they are to beat the drop.
Leeds meanwhile are clinging on to their playoff position, with Simon Grayson’s men currently sat in 6th position. Four points separate them from 7th place Burnley but with the Clarets holding two games in hand, that margin is pretty insignificant. However, their form of late has been relatively good and despite slipping to a 3-0 defeat to Swansea a couple of weeks ago, they responded in emphatic fashion by thrashing Doncaster 5-2 in their last outing. That victory means that their form reads as eleven points from their last six games, which certainly isn’t a bad statistic considering that the pressure is now mounting. What’s more, in striker Luciano Becchio they have one of the division’s in-form strikers, with the Argentine taking his tally for the season to seventeen having scored three in his last four.
The injuries are starting to mount for the home side ahead of this clash as Phil Brown sweats on the fitness of Craig Morgan, Andy Lonergan, Nathan Ellington, David Gray, Leon Cort and Barry Nicholson. All of the above are classed as doubts and Brown will leave it late before making a decision. Leeds meanwhile will just have the two absentees as Lloyd Sam and Paul Connolly prepare to miss out. Neither is yet fit following injury problems and Simon Grayson will give them an extra week to prove their match fitness.
Preston have shown in recent weeks that they are the draw masters and we fully expect that to continue here. With the Lilywhites having so many injury concerns we think a home victory is certainly off the agenda, but having looked at recent form we think a draw is well within their capabilities
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