Bristol City manager Lee Johnson is expecting a tough game as his side head up to Deepdale to face the Lilywhites on Tuesday night.
Speaking to the Bristol Post ahead of his side’s clash with North End he said he was looking to continue their positive start to March after Saturday’s 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Ashton Gate.
“It's a big game, but they're all big games now,” he told the local paper. “We need to make sure we continue a good March - it's a good start. We've got games we feel we can pick up points in, but Preston is always a tough game.
"[Saturday] was good that I could make a couple of substitutions there and rest a couple of players going into the Preston game.
"They've won on Saturday so they'll be buoyed by that and notoriously we've not done great there, so it's a big test for us to see how far we've come and hopefully the boys will stand up to it.
"You expect [a tough game] from a side like that. They're a similar model to us if you like, signing young players and lower league players and they've done very well.
"And the manager's gone in there and continued where Simon Grayson left off."
Last season’s clash in PR1 saw North End run out 5-0 winners and Johnson admits he will use that as an added motivating factor heading north again in 2018.
“I think so,” he added.” I think it should be. I think you have to use every little motivational piece you can get and certainly that was a low day for me and what I want to see one year on is how much we've progressed.
“I'm looking forward to that performance having got a result on Saturday and hopefully the boys are full of confidence.”