Preston North End welcome Blackburn Rovers to Deepdale on Tuesday evening in what's expected to be a closely-contested encounter.

The Lilywhites have endured a mixed start to the new season under Alex Neil after winning five and losing six of their opening 12 games.

That run of form has seen them settle in 12th place in the table, however a positive result could see them move to within touching distance of the play-off spots.

Blackburn are in an almost identical position.

Tony Mowbray's side are just one point worse-off that their Lancashire rivals after a steady start to the season.

Rovers are hoping to make a push for the top six over the course of the campaign, but if they're to do so then they'll need to start taking a maximum return from encounters such as this one.

Quiz: Did these 17 Preston North End players ever actually score a league goal for the club?

The clash between Preston and Blackburn is almost guaranteed to be a cagey encounter - something that Sky Sports' pundit David Prutton agrees with.

Prutton has predicted the sides to play out a 1-1 draw at Deepdale which is likely to be seen as a solid, but unspectacular result for both sides.

The Verdict

It's hard to see this one being anything other than a draw.

Both sides have the potential to win the game but with no real consistency in either side's results it truly is a game that could go either way.

That said, both sides will be hoping that a victory could see them push towards the top six.