Two Lancashire rivals are set to renew hostilities on Saturday afternoon, as Blackburn Rovers welcome Preston North End to Ewood Park in what could be a crucial match in the race for a Championship play-off place.

Football League World will be reporting live from Ewood Park for the Saturday afternoon 15:00 kick-off, so we have gathered together everything you need to know in the build-up.

Having thrown away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 when these sides met at Deepdale in the reverse earlier this season, Blackburn will be desperate to take their revenge on Saturday, with more than just local bragging rights at stake.

Both Rovers and Preston head into this game having taken just two points from a possible 12 in their last four league games, and come into this off the back of FA Cup third round defeats to Birmingham and Norwich respectively last week, which both will surely be desperate to bounce back from sooner rather later.

Despite those runs, both sides are still within touching distance of the play-offs, with Preston currently two points behind sixth-placed Swansea, and Rovers only two points further back, meaning a win for either side would put them right back into the mix for a top-six spot.

With top scorer Bradley Dack a long-term absentee for Rovers, the potential returns of Danny Graham or Lewis Holtby to their forward line could provide Tony Mowbray's side with an element of ruthlessness in front of goal, as well as a creative spark that has been lacking ever since their talisman was stretchered off in their game before Christmas.

Preston meanwhile could have a new attacking outlet to unleash on Saturday, with Scott Sinclair in line for his debut following his move from Celtic earlier this week, something which given his pedigree, would generate a great deal of excitement amongst the club's travelling fans, while also reducing some pressure on their own top scorer, Daniel Johnson, to return to full fitness after his own injury issues.

Elsewhere, the introduction of Jayden Stockley after just half an hour of the reverse fixture with North End 2-0 down proved the catalyst for their comeback, with Rovers' defence struggling to cope with his physicality back in October, meaning he will surely start this weekend.

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Mowbray did not have Darragh Lenihan - arguably the strongest of Rovers' current crop of defenders - to call upon that day, and it will be interesting to see if the fact that he is now available helps to negate the threat of Stockley and co. in any way this time around.

There is of course an argument that it is those sorts of individual battles that could prove decisive in this one, given how similar the records of these two sides across the course of the entire season are.

As well as being just two points better off than Rovers, Preston have scored just two more and conceded only two fewer goals than their hosts, and have what is a marginally better average possession percentage, meaning the statistical advantage held by Alex Neil's side here certainly looks to be a narrow one.

Indeed, with the last meeting between the two sides also playing out as the proverbial game of two halves with just one goal in it come the final whistle, it would be no surprise if this latest clash of these historic Lancashire rivals, also ends up being too close to call.