Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has ensured his team will fight for everything ahead of their game against Leeds United this weekend.
Leeds will host Preston at Elland Road in the early kick-off on Saturday. The Whites play just hours after their promotion rivals Burnley, who will play on Friday night. The race for automatic promotion is set to go down the wire this season. Lurking in third place in the league is Sheffield United, who are just two points behind both Leeds and Burnley.
This weekend’s game at Elland Road will be crucial. Daniel Farke’s side bounced back to winning ways midweek. Dan James scored the only goal as Leeds scraped a win against Middlesbrough on Tuesday. James will miss this weekend’s game with a hamstring problem.
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Preston boss sends warning to Leeds United
Credit: Imago Images
Coming into the game, the consensus is that this will be another win for the Whites on their way to promotion. But as the past few weeks have shown, results are not predictable at this point in the season. Before their win midweek, Leeds had drawn games against 10-man QPR, and Swansea.
Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom says there is still a lot for his team to fight for this season:
“Every game. Three points, that’s it. Finish as high as we can, perform as well as we can, and now for me I think we’re laying the foundations for next season and that’s me looking at the players.
“There will be turnover. I know the players want to finish as strong as possible because they’re working towards being in the starting XI for next season as well so that never changes.”
Heckingbottom will be without star man Sam Greenwood, who will not be able to play against his parent club on Saturday.
Whites have a tough test on Saturday
Preston have lost just one game in their last five. Paul Heckinbottom’s side have held three teams to a draw including Sunderland, who are chasing a play-off place.
Preston vs Leeds United defending statistics via Sofascore
They also have a deceptively impressive defence; Preston rank in the top 10 for least goals conceded, and clean sheets this season. Saturday will definitely not be a walkover for Leeds United.
