Preston North End v Bristol City
Deepdale, Saturday 22nd September, 3pm kick off.
Coverage, live and exclusive on Whites World from 2.30pm

Fourth-placed Bristol City are the latest visitors to Deepdale in a season that's already become hugely difficult to predict. Ahead of the season, neutral forecasters would possibly have expected the two sides to be in the opposite positions to where they currently are, but an unexpected set of results so far accounts for the current situation.

North End will be buoyant at this moment in time, following the last gasp leveller from two-goal hero Callum Davidson that salvaged a point in the 2-2 draw at Cardiff last Saturday. With the reserves having secured a 5-3 win at Wrexham in midweek with all the fringe players firing, the situation looks promising at this moment in time - though the Robins may have something to say about that.

They also come into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw settled by a last minute goal, though they were on the wrong end of a Blackpool equaliser at Ashton Gate last Saturday. The trend for late goals was also shown by Bradley Orr's 89th minute strike that secured a 1-1 draw with West Brom the previous Tuesday, but it's the earlier wins over Coventry, Sheffield Wednesday and Scunthorpe that have propelled them to their current fourth place - three points behind leaders Watford.

City will arrive at Deepdale without long-term injury victims Steve Brooker and Jordan Walker (both suffering from knee injuries), while Enoch 'The Showman' Showunmi isn't yet fully-fit after an ankle complaint. The only players missing for the hosts are suspended striker Andy Carroll (who can return at Ipswich next Saturday), injured keeper Wayne Henderson and the rehabilitating Paul McKenna, who could return within the next month.

North End Last Time Out- Cardiff 2 PNE 2
Lonergan, Jones, Chilvers, Mawene, Hill (Lewis Neal 77), Sedgwick, Nicholls, Davidson, Carter, Gallagher (Mellor 68), Agyemang (Hawley 57)

Bristol City Last Time Out - Bristol City 2 Blackpool 2
Basso, Orr, Carey, Fontaine, McAllister, Wilson (Byfield 46), Johnson, Elliott, McIndoe, Trundle (Skuse 88), Sproule (Vasko 78)

The League Table

After seven games of the 2007/08 season, North End are top of the relegation zone in 22nd, with a win potentially enabling them to join a melee of five teams already on eight points. They current have a two point cushion on the two teams below them - QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, though the West London side has a game in hand.

City lie fourth, having topped the table briefly in the past fortnight. Unbeaten so far, their record of three wins and four draws has yielded 13 points, just three less than top dogs Watford. With a healthy goal difference of plus five, they're well placed to return to the top if all the results go their way over the weekend.

Ones to Watch

Matt Hill
Facing your old club is always a special moment, though Matt Hill readily admitted on Whites World this week that he didn't expect to encounter them at this level so soon after leaving Ashton Gate. A fans' favourite with both sets of supporters, he is the only man in City history to have won their young player of the year and overall player of the year awards in the same season. Restored to the Preston line-up at Cardiff last Saturday as part of a tactical re-shuffle, he'll be keen to prove he's worth persisting with this season as he encounters a tricky test up against the likes of Sproule and Trundle.

Lee Trundle
There aren't many players at Championship level that list Bamber Bridge, Chorley and Southport amongst their previous clubs, but Lee Trundle is no ordinary footballer. Plucked from the obscurity of Rhyl at the age of 24, he set the lower leagues alight with his amazing array of flicks and tricks in spells at Wrexham, and latterly Swansea. Gary Johnson took a gamble on the 30-year old this summer for his match-winning potential, and North End's defence will have to be on their guard as he'll look to upstage them with an audacious move of some description.

Head to Head

It could barely be tighter in terms of an overall record between the two teams, as North End edge the all-time statistics with 24 wins to City's 23, with 22 draws. The last clash between the two was the famous 'promotion celebration' game of 1999/00 as goals from Brett Angell and Michael Appleton put the icing on the title cake in a 2-0 win at Ashton Gate (a young lad called Matt Hill making a half-time appearance from the bench). PNE also won the Deepdale encounter that season - 1-0 thanks to a goal from loan man Alex Mathie, as detailed below.

Home and Away

All competitions: PNE 24 wins, Bristol City 23 wins, 22 draws

Last Time We Met At Deepdale:
PNE 1-0 Bristol City
9 October 1999 - Ref: J A Kirkby
Scorer: Mathie
Attendance: 10,042

Referee

Andre Marriner appeared to go slightly crazy as he brandished seven yellow cards in Blackburn's opening day victory at Middlesbrough, but he seems to have calmed down by showing only 16 in the following seven games, with no dismissals so far. The eight games he has overseen this season have tended to be low-scoring affairs, with no team managing to net more than twice. We encountered the West Midlands official twice last season - both times against Leeds United. The Elland Road affair, unusually, witnessed no cards of any description.

Tickets

For all the details, check out our ticketing page. Don't forget the great savings for MyPNE membership card holders - get your card from the club shop or ticket office for just £1!

Betting

PNE 13/10, City 2/1, Draw 23/10. Click here to view other match odds.

Listen Live

Jonathan Breeze, Matt Morris and Rob Urbani will provide full live commentary and pre-match build up from 2.30pm on Whites World. Click here for more details on how to join Whites World.