PRESTON NORTH END and Bristol City both need victories to stop sliding down the Championship table after suffering back-to-back defeats.
Having pieced together a three-game unbeaten run, Alex Neil's men would have been looking to keep that momentum going on their away days at Luton and Barnsley. But they crashed to defeats instead to leave them sitting 15th in the table and eight points adrift of the play-off places.
Bristol City are just two points off the play-off pace in eighth place but their form has been worse than Preston's, losing three of their last four and scoring just once in the process.
What looked like being a promising season is in danger of falling apart for the Robins so they need the three points at Deepdale just as much as their hosts.
But they will need to banish a jinx that has seen them go an incredible 14 games without a victory over North End in what is a massive match for both teams.
How the bookies view it
This is such a tough one to call but Preston are the slight favourites at a best 27/20 with Unibet while Bristol City are 11/5 with the same firm. A draw wouldn't be a massive surprise and it's priced 37/15 at VBet.
Recent head to head
Preston have an incredible record against Bristol City but in that 14-game unbeaten run there have been six draws. The last three meetings have also ended level, including a 3-3 thriller at Deepdale last season (below).
Bristol City's last win in this fixture did come on the road, a 4-0 thrashing way back in 2011.
Players to watch
Former Celtic winger Scott Sinclair should come back in for Preston after coming off the bench in the defeat at Barnsley. Sinclair has seven for the season and is 11/4 with Bet365 for a goal here.
The only goal Bristol City have scored in their last four games came from Famara Diedhiou but he misses this one through suspension after a red card in midweek.
Nahki Wells was in decent form earlier in the season, with five goals from his first 16 games, and is 21/10 with 888Sport to get back on track with a strike here.
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing a one-goal winning margin has been a good option for me of late and came up in a tight game between Wolves and Aston Villa. If any side is to win this one it's likely to be by just one goal and that pays 5/4 with Betway.
Both teams have been struggling in front of goal so it could pay to back a dull game, even though it ended 3-3 in this match last term. Under 2.5 goals pays 8/11 with Bet365 while betting against both teams to score is 21/20 at BetVictor.
Paddy Power are also offering 10/11 on a goal not being scored in each half and that's worth considering too. I can see this match being level at half-time and that pays 11/10 at Bet365.
This England Championship match between Preston North End and Bristol City will be played on Dec 18, 2020 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Preston North End vs Bristol City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
