14th takes on 11th in the Championship this weekend with Preston North End meeting with Bristol City at Deepdale where both sides are still trying to implement themselves within the chaotic race for the playoffs this season.
It's been another very topsy-turvy season for Preston. The Lilywhites are down in 14th ahead of this home match and also come into the game having been dealt a 4-0 battering in the FA Cup by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The club held on until the 64th minute of the game, but three goals inside 10 minutes gave Preston no way back pretty quickly.
Back in the Championship, however, they are heading into this game without a win in the past two games and no goals either. This has seen Sheffield Wednesday edge out an upset 1-0 win at Deepdale before Sunderland beat them 2-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Preston would, however, defeat the title-challenging Leeds United before this in a fantastic 2-1 victory at home that saw Alan Browne and Liam Millar score a goal each in the second half. On the other hand, losses to Queen Park Rangers, Watford and Swansea, alongside a draw with Norwich City meant a poor December for them. The Lancashire side would also beat Huddersfield Town at the John Smith's Stadium 3-1 in the midst of this bad run.
Despite the poor form, the crazy nature of the Championship still means 10 wins and 11 losses for Preston and just a gap of five points on the top six. However, with 44 goals let in being the fourth worst record in the league this season, it's tough to see how the club progress much this campaign, especially given their woeful goals scored record of 31.
As for Bristol, they are three place and one point above Preston in the league table. The Robins have won the same amount of games but lost one fewer, although also scoring one less goal too. On the other hand, their excellent defensive record of 28 goals conceded is one of the best in the league and five better than second-placed title contenders, Ipswich Town.
Bristol earned a replay away at West Ham United in the FA Cup last time out, but with a draw against Birmingham City and a loss at home to Millwall on New Year's Day, this does now mean the club are on a three-game winless run.
Prior to this run, Bristol did have a decent run by beating Sunderland and Hull City by a goal at home before smashing Watford 4-1 at Vicarage Road. A further loss to Norwich City and a draw to Huddersfield earlier in that month means the club remain only four points behind the top six.