Burnley will be looking to take the next step towards Championship promotion when they play host to neighbours Preston North End on Saturday afternoon.
At a time when the Clarets sit 17 points clear of the automatic promotion places, Preston are 11th in the standings despite a poor run of form.
The majority of Burnley fans would have expected to beat Ipswich Town in the FA Cup at the first time of asking, never mind needing to net a late goal in the replay to progress through to the fifth round.
Nevertheless, it was another show of character from Vincent Kompany’s side, who can afford to go as far as possible in the cup with the reassurance that it will not hinder their promotion bid.
A nine-match winning streak in the second tier has left the Clarets seven points ahead of second-placed Sheffield United and a further 10 over the chasing pack.
With 17 matches still remaining, Burnley are certainly not over the line just yet, but Kompany and his squad will recognise that every triumph will take them closer to wrapping up a return to the Premier League with numerous fixtures remaining.
Not since Stoke City on October 5 has a visiting side prevented Burnley from winning at Turf Moor, yet Preston make the short trip to face one of their fierce rivals with one of the best away records in the division.
A remarkable eight wins have been posted from Preston’s 14 fixtures on their travels, the latest of those coming at Birmingham City on January 21.
Their home form has been near-disastrous, all things considered, with just three victories coming from 15 matches, and Ryan Lowe’s side have lost their last five games at Deepdale.
Despite a trip to Burnley appearing to be a daunting prospect, Preston may actually relish it, further fuelled by needing points on the board to remain in the promotion hunt.
Although they sit just four points adrift of the top six, Preston are also only two points above 16th spot, but they have the confidence from holding Burnley to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in September.
Kompany is expected to revert back to the Burnley XI which started the Norwich game after ringing the changes for the FA Cup tie with Ipswich in midweek.
However, Nathan Tella netted twice against the Tractor Boys and may retain his place, whether that be on one of the flanks or down the middle.
Hjalmar Ekdal appears likely to retain his spot in the middle of the backline after impressing versus the Canaries.
Lowe is expected to make more alterations to his Preston side, particularly in the final third where he may err on the side of caution.
Robbie Brady could be pushed forward, allowing for Alvaro Fernandez to return at left wing-back, while Josh Onomah and Ben Woodburn will also come into consideration.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Peacock-Farrell; Roberts, Ekdal, Beyer, Maatsen; Cullen, Brownhill; Gudmundsson, Barnes, Zaroury; Tella
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, Ledson, McCann, Fernandez; Woodburn, Brady; Evans
