Having not yet recovered from their loss to Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-final, Preston North End will face Stoke City at Deepdale in the Championship this Saturday.
Preston also played against Derby County in the league on Wednesday, losing 2-0, which has made it a hectic week for them. On the other hand, Stoke City last played in their remarkable 3-1 victory over QPR last Saturday.
Stoke is still in danger of relegation, but they have somewhat eased those concerns by winning two of their last three games under Mark Robins.
Team news
Preston will be missing their first-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman due to an ankle injury sustained during the international break. David Cornell will continue to fill in for him.
Defenders Ben Gibson and Enda Stevens, along with loan striker Ali Al-Hamadi, are nearing their return for Stoke and will undergo late fitness assessments.
The stats
Stoke has only won three away games in this season's Championship.
City has been involved in five goalless draws since the beginning of November, one of which was against Preston.
Preston has secured seven wins at Deepdale this season but has also drawn 10 league matches on their home turf.
North End has only conceded 15 goals in their 19 home games in the Championship, indicating a potentially low-scoring match.
Prediction
Although Stoke is not entirely out of the relegation danger, Preston seems to have little motivation left for the season following their FA Cup exit and could be susceptible this weekend.
Preston's season practically came to an end after their defeat to Villa, and rallying the team will be a challenging task for Paul Heckingbottom.
With their previous 17 draws in the Championship this season, Preston might aim for another draw in their match against Stoke.
While Stoke's poor away record could tempt some to bet on a Preston victory, the visitors will be fresher and buoyed by their recent triumph over QPR.
This could make the match evenly matched, making a draw the most likely outcome, particularly since these teams played out a goalless draw in November.