Championship | Gameweek 10

Oct 19, 2024 at 12.30pm UK

Deepdale

Preston vs Coventry

Match preview

After a winless September in the Championship, Preston North End picked up four points from two games in October before the international break, with a three-goal thrashing of Watford at Deepdale and a goalless draw with promotion favourites Burnley.

Despite the Clarets dominating possession in a hotly contested Lancashire derby, the Lilywhites held on for a share of the points and should have taken all three, with Danish striker Emil Riis Jakobsen having a seemingly legal goal ruled out for offside.

Preston's nine points from their opening nine games of the 2024-25 season leave them 19th in the Championship table, seven points adrift of sixth-placed Watford and just two points above Queens Park Rangers in the relegation zone.

Following the departure of Ryan Lowe at the start of the season, Paul Heckingbottom has lost just two of his nine games in charge and the 47-year-old will be hoping to emulate his success in Yorkshire, where he led Sheffield United to the Premier League.

Having failed to win any of their five away games in the Championship so far this season, Preston will be pleased to know that five of their next six games in all competitions will be played at Deepdale, including an EFL Cup fourth-round clash with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on 30 October.

After finishing ninth in the Championship and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals last season, Coventry City are currently struggling in the second tier, having won just two of their opening nine games in the 2024-25 campaign, leaving them 20th in the table.

The Sky Blues looked to have turned a corner on the first day of October when they recorded a three-goal thrashing of Blackburn Rovers at the Coventry Building Society Arena, but four days later the visitors were back on the losing side as Sheffield Wednesday snatched all three points in the East Midlands.

Jack Rudoni, the bright spark in a difficult start for his side as a collective, opened the scoring for Coventry last time out, but goals either side of half-time from Djeidi Gassama and Northern Ireland international Shea Charles ensured the Owls' comeback.

Having combined for 29 Championship goals last time out, strikers Ellis Simms and Haji Wright have struggled to provide a consistent attacking threat for Mark Robins' side, with USA marksman Wright (3) the only Sky Blues player to have netted more than once in the league so far.

Coventry's record against Preston has been nothing short of abysmal over the past decade, and the Lilywhites will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in this fixture to a staggering 14 matches on Saturday afternoon, with the Sky Blues' last success against this weekend's opponents dating back to January 2013.

Recent Performance

Preston North End Championship form:LDDLWD

Preston North End form (all competitions):DWDLWD

Coventry City Championship form:LDLLWL

Coventry City form (all competitions):DLLLWL

Injuries and suspensions

Preston

28 Milutin Osmajic

Coventry

No sidelined players

Possible starting lineups

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Woodman; Kesler-Hayden, Linday, Storey, Hughes; Whiteman, McCann, Potts, Frokjaer-Jensen, Brady; Jakobsen

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell; Sheaf, Eccles, Mason-Clark, Rudoni, Wright; Simms