Preston look to put a stop to their decline as the Lilywhites welcome Luton Town to Deepdale

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Preston will be looking to halt their descent down the Championship table when Nathan Jones brings his improving Luton side to Deepdale.

Alex Neil’s men have won just one of their last eight games and morale is currently low among the supporters after another defeat in midweek at the hands of Middlesbrough. It was North End’s 19th defeat of the league campaign, the joint second-most in the league only behind doomed Wycombe.

After a strong run in December, the home form in 2021 has been abysmal. The only victory in the calendar year so far was the 3-0 victory over a struggling Huddersfield side at the end of February. The North End manager is lucky that games have been behind closed doors as a lot of fans would be voicing their displeasure at the unacceptable results.

Despite this, Neil’s immediate future looks secure in Lancashire and does still have the backing of a section of the fanbase. There is an acceptance that it’s been a difficult season and losing three of your most important players in the January transfer window will have done nothing to improve matters.

Saturday marks an opportunity to try and turn things around and restore some confidence. Luton are just two places above the Lilywhites in the table and Preston would jump above them with a win. With a 12 point gap to Rotherham in 22nd, fans of the Lancashire club probably aren’t thinking of relegation but the Millers do have four games in hand.

Points on the board are always preferable though and three more of them on Saturday will ease any small fears that may linger.

Neil will be without captain Alan Browne after his red card for a clash with Sam Morsy in midweek. The Preston manager was furious at the decision and was himself given his marching orders in the second-half. Browne will serve a three-match ban on either side of the international break.

Greg Cunningham and Ryan Ledson will be hoping to be involved but are facing fitness tests ahead of the encounter.

Luton’s form has improved in recent weeks and come into this fixture on the back of a 2-0 victory over Coventry during the week.

It’s three wins in their last five games, with the only defeats coming against promotion-chasing Norwich and Swansea.

These wins have helped ease any thoughts that the Hatters could get sucked into another relegation battle and find themselves 15 points ahead of Rotherham albeit having played three extra games.

Luton could climb as high as 10th with a win which would represent excellent progress for Jones after last season’s brush with relegation. The Hatters looked poised to drop to League One before the return of their old manager which has since seen them move up the table rather than down.

The Play-Offs look out of the question so a top-half finish will be the aim between now and May. Jones has a clean bill of health in the pursuit of this. James Collins will be hoping for more of the same from the Preston defence after bagging a hat-trick in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Saturday’s game might not look big in the context of the league table but it could set the tone for both clubs for the run-in. Three points ahead of a two-week break will be just what the doctor ordered before the chance to recharge and go in again for the final stretch.

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