Sheffield United will travel to Lancashire on Saturday to face off against tricky customers Preston North End.
Sheffield United will have the chance to extend their winning streak to 4 in a row, incidentally keeping them top of the Championship. Meanwhile, Preston North End will look to improve on their current league position, 12th.
Ryan Lowe has been playing a 3-5-2 with Preston North End this season. Here is how I think Preston will line up tomorrow afternoon:
One obvious thing that stands out is that there is clear intent to attack down the left side, attacking 43% of the time down the left this season.
Preston North End have an aggressive style of play. When it comes to battling for aerial superiority, Preston are the 4th best side in the league.
They are also excellent at reading the game from a defensive point of view, averaging 12.6 interceptions per game, ranking them the 2nd best side in that respect.
Preston and Sheffield United are equal when it comes to tackles per game, both sides have registered 19.7 tackles per game, the best in the division.
In the past 2 games, Preston have been dispossessed or turned possession over far too many times in their own half. This is something that the Blades can look to capitalise on as they rank in the top 10 in the Championship for build-up disruption.
Up to this point, PNE have committed the 2nd most fouls on average in the league, this ties in with their aggressive playing style.
The Preston defence has been super solid this season, recording 7 clean sheets in 9 Championship games. However they are coming up against the most formidable attacking team in the league, with the Blades failing to score just once this season, and that was in the first game of the season.
I fancy United to extend the winning streak on Saturday, however, if Preston get the first goal, that could be damaging because they boast an excellent defensive record.