Preston North End

Both these sides should, in theory, have a relatively stress-free end to the season with Queens Park Rangers sitting on the magical 50-points mark and Preston just one point off it.

The two sides meet at Deepdale on Friday (15:00 BST) having both taken six points from their past six games.

• Preston have lost each of their past two home league games against QPR, one more than in their previous 16 games (W8 D7).

• QPR have won five of their past seven league games against Preston (L2), including each of their previous three encounters with the Lilywhites.

• Preston are unbeaten in their past eight home league games on Good Friday (W4 D4), beating Rotherham 3-0 at Deepdale last season.

• Since a 1-0 win at Watford in the top flight in April 1988, QPR are winless in their last four away league games on Good Friday (D2 L2).

• Only Coventry City (22) have scored more Championship goals from crosses this season than QPR (14), with three of their past six league goals coming via crosses.

Image source, Rex Features

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom was pleased with his side's application in their 2-1 defeat at Championship leaders Leeds.

"I'm really disappointed with the two goals we conceded, I thought they were poor on our part," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We were brave with how we passed the ball and tried to take the game to them, I was really pleased with that.

"We knew if we could keep one goal in it then we'd get opportunities but they defended their box well and we couldn't open them up.

"Overall I'm delighted with the effort and commitment of the players but Leeds had the better chances."

This fixture goes back to the 1924-25 season when Leeds won both matches in the old First Division, scoring four goals in each game.

Preston are looking for a first league victory at Elland Road since 2010 when they came from 4-2 down at half-time to win 6-4.

• Leeds have lost just one of their past seven league games against Preston, (W3 D3), a 2-1 defeat at Deepdale in December 2023.

• Preston have won just one of their past 12 away league games against Leeds since 1963 (D4 L7).

• Leeds have scored 80 goals in the Championship this season, just one short of their competition record (since 2004-05) of 81 in 2010-11 and 2023-24. They last scored more than 81 in a league campaign in 1969-70 (84).

• Preston have won just one of their past 10 league matches (D6 L3), beating Portsmouth 2-1 in March. The Lilywhites have lost three of their past four away games in the Championship (D1).

• Leeds' Dan James has 12 league goals this season, one below his record in a single campaign of 13 last season. James could score in three successive league appearances for the third time in his career – the last time he achieved this (January 2024), the third game was against Preston at Elland Road.

Image source, Rex Features

Preston North End will use the summer to refresh and improve their squad, says boss Paul Heckingbottom.

With loan players returning to their parent clubs and others coming to the end of their contracts, Heckingbottom believes there is an opportunity for him to stamp his mark on the squad at Deepdale.

He said there could be as many as a dozen squad places to fill but added "one or two" of the out-of-contract players "could be staying".

North End have four loan players set to leave at the end of the Championship season while six senior players, including goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and second top-scorer Emil Riis, will be out of contract.

"There's the potential to, definitely," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire when asked about a summer overhaul.

"Your loans are going to go automatically and there will be one or two who leave as well.

"So if we play it right, it's a big opportunity to refresh the squad, improve the squad and just change the dynamic of it."

Preston are 16th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone with five games to go, and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they lost 3-0 at home to Aston Villa.

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Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom was satisfied with his team's performance in the 2-2 draw against Cardiff City at Deepdale.

Yakou Meite's 94th-minute leveller snatched a point for the Bluebirds, meaning North End have now drawn 19 times this season - more than any other side in the Championship.

"I feel a lot different in terms of performance to what we did at the weekend," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"You get punished when you switch off. I did feel comfortable in us seeing the game out.

"We switched off, left him in, it's an error, but we did more than enough at the other end, so we can't just look at that one error.

"I'd take that performance. That's how we need to play - be more clinical and be more ruthless.

"I'd love to create that many chances every game but that's been the other criticism in the other games where we have been dominant but not created enough chances for the dominance."

Cardiff City will eye a chance to escape the relegation zone when they visit Preston North End on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

The Bluebirds =find themselves undefeated across their past three league games, though it still sees them in the bottom three, level on points with Derby just above them but crucially under the line due to goal difference.

A win against midtable Preston could be enough to see them into safety, with Stoke City also within catching distance.

• Preston have won both of their last two league meetings with Cardiff, last winning more in a row over the Bluebirds in January 2000 (4).

• Since the start of 2020, Cardiff have won four of their five league visits to Preston (L1), winning this exact fixture last season 2-1.

• Preston are unbeaten in their last 25 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games played at home (W11 D14) since a 0-1 defeat to Watford back in February 2021.

• Cardiff have only won one of their last 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (D3 L7), a 1-0 victory over Hull in February.

• Preston's Paul Heckingbottom has won each of his last five league games against Cardiff City since a 0-1 defeat with Barnsley in November 2017.

Image source, Rex Features

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom said his side didn't "deserve" to beat Stoke on Saturday.

The Lilywhites were denied all three points after full-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden's opener was cancelled out by Stoke's Lewis Baker from the penalty spot in the second half.

"You take the point in the end. I don't think it's a penalty, [it was] really soft so disappointed we haven't got three but I don't think the performance deserved three so we'll take the point and move on," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Start of the second half they got on top. I felt they won all the duels and we're going to face teams that are fighting to stay in the league.

"Cardiff, Plymouth, Hull away that's what we're going to face so really disappointed with that spell of the game and we weren't good enough to take the sting out of it."

Stoke City make the trip to Deepdale on Saturday (15:00 BST) as they look to increase the distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

The Potters are only two points above 22nd placed Cardiff City but have won two of their past three league games to sit in 18th place.

They now face a Preston side firmly in the midtable, seven points clear of relegation but 10 away from the play-offs.

Will having more on the line spur Stoke to a win or will North End make good on their hopes to end the season strong?

• The previous league meeting this season between Preston and Stoke ended 0-0 – the last time both games between the teams in the same season were drawn was back in 1928-29.

• Stoke City have won three of their last four away league matches against Preston (D1), including each of the last two.

• Preston have gone 12 home league games without defeat (W4 D8), their best unbeaten run at Deepdale since a run of 15 between December 2014 and August 2015.

• Stoke City have lost their last four away Championship matches – they haven't lost five away league games in a row since losing six consecutively between January and March 2013 in the top-flight.

• Stoke manager Mark Robins is winless in his last 12 league meetings against Preston North End (D4 L8) since beating them 2-0 with Barnsley back in February 2011.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom says he is expecting a "totally different proposition" from next opponents Stoke City as opposed to Derby County, who they lost to on Tuesday.

"I looked at the team at the weekend and a lot of big players for them were back. Then, watching the game, I got a good idea of what Mark [Robins] is trying to do there.

"[Stoke] will come at us more with the ball in different ways. We will have to defend well, better than [against Derby], but in different parts of the game."

Saturday's match against Stoke will be their third since Sunday, having lost their FA Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa before the defeat by the Rams.

However, Heckingbottom is hoping that third time's a charm when it comes to earning a victory.

"It's always in the back of your mind when you schedule changes because of the cup competition, it's always in the back of your mind that it costs you players," he added.

"We tried to mitigate against that and we prepared and I think we've done well. We've got those freaky silly injuries, ankles, ribs, things like that which we could have done without.

"We will make changes again for the weekend. These are games that we are wanting win and pick up points in."

Image source, Rex Features

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom says a poor start to the second half led to his side's downfall after a disappointing 2-0 loss to relegation battlers Derby County.

The Lilywhites started the game the better but were only able to muster one shot on target, while the Rams came out of the blocks in the second to gain a two goal advantage in the space of four minutes.

"The second half was a totally different game and as if we'd not prepared for the team we were playing against.

"It's horrible getting beaten but the frustration is how much I felt we were in control and dealing with their threats.

"In the second half all of a sudden we're not winning the duels, leaving men at set-plays and then we walk away from a second phase throw put in our box and all of a sudden we're outnumbered and one of their best headers is left free.

"That 10-minute spell just took the game away from us."

Preston suffered five consecutive losses to conclude last season, finishing 10th overall and currently find themselves in 14th.

Image source, BBC Sport

A rejuvenated Derby County are looking for a fourth consecutive Championship win on Wednesday, which could lift them out of the relegation zone.

Preston North End are 10 points outside the play-off spots but have a game in hand on all the teams above them and could still sneak into the top six with a near perfect run-in to the end of the season.

• Derby have only lost one of their previous 14 home league games against Preston North End (W8 D5), a 1-0 reverse in December 2020 under Wayne Rooney.

• Preston have lost just one of their past six games against Derby County in all competitions (W3 D2), although that was their last away game against the Rams, a 1-0 defeat in the Championship in April 2022.

• Derby have won each of their previous three games in the Championship, as many as their previous 26 beforehand (W3 D8 L15); the Rams last won four successive matches in the competition in July 2020 (five in a row).

• After their 2-1 win over Portsmouth, Preston are looking to win back-to-back Championship games for only the third time this season, after doing so in December (v Hull & Sheffield Wednesday) and January (v Watford & Middlesbrough).

• Marcus Harness has three goals and an assist in Derby's last two league games, this after only previously scoring once and assisting once in his first 31 appearances in the Championship for the Rams.

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Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman is set to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury sustained in the gym over the international break.

The stopper missed only his second game of the season in the FA Cup loss to Aston Villa on Sunday, with reserve keeper David Cornell stepping in.

"Longer term, we miss him [Woodman] now for the season but now it's Dai's [Cornell's] turn to step up," boss Paul Heckingbottom told, external BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He's been training hard, he always does, supports Freddie really, really well and now we get a great look at Dai between now until the end of the season."

Woodman joins defender Jack Whatmough, midfielder Ali McCann and right-back Brad Potts in the recovery room.

Preston, 14th in the Championship table, are currently 10 points adrift of the play-off places and nine points clear of the relegation zone with eight games to play.

Image source, Rex Features

While Preston North End may have succumbed to a 3-0 loss to Premier League side Aston Villa in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final, it hasn't left the fans of the Lancashire club feeling too down.

We asked for your thoughts on Preston's display and here's what you had to say:

Iain: A tough game, but I'm not upset to be coming away defeated; the clearly better team won. Great to see Theo Carroll (first-team debut) and Noah Mawene get game time, hope to see them again before the season's out.

Paul: Well done Aston Villa and good luck for the rest of the competition. Villa deserved the victory. I did think the penalty was a ridiculous 'modern' decision... Our defender stepped on his foot, Villa man took another step, then went down! Didn't matter, in reality... Villa the better team. Good run by North End though, and a full house!

John: Preston held out well for 58 minutes with a much depleted team against a class outfit, helped by a very Premier League friendly referee.

David: Too many injuries which eventually impacted the scoreline. Villa's class won the game although the score is harsh on us.

Anthony: Preston were always going to be the underdogs but did not disgrace themselves. They played relatively well and if they played as well in the Championship, they could do well.

Image source, Getty Images

Lilywhites boss Paul Heckingbottom gave his reaction to BBC Radio 5 Live after Preston's 3-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Premier League side Aston Villa:

"We would have found that a difficult game (if we) were at full strength - we were never going to win it with 11 so we needed the full squad to get any sort of game.

"We limited them in the first half and performed really, really well. We had the best chance in the first half, we started the second half in the same fashion and then within five minutes the game was gone from us - that's the difference between the Championship and Premier League.

"I felt today with what we had, we needed the first goal. We're all disappointed but proud of the performance - I think the fans enjoyed it, but we would have loved a different outcome.

"We were ready to make the changes when we were 1-0 down but then within a blink of an eye they got the second and it became a difficult afternoon then."

On the atmosphere at Deepdale: "Fantastic - it was a great day for the fans. We've had some really good cup days and nights this season and it's the players that have earned that for the fans.

"We now want the fans back in the last few league games. It's been a good season in terms of cup competitions and we've been really consistent in the league.

"We know where we need to improve but from where we were and the negativity at the start of the season, I think we're in a good place - but this should whet the appetite to do better next season."