Blackburn Rovers fans will get their Lancashire derby fix on Friday night when Preston North End come to Ewood Park.

Jon Dahl Tomasson's side did not enjoy last season's contests against PNE, losing 4-1 at Ewood Park in December and conceding a dramatic, late equaliser at Deepdale in April.

Rovers will want to restore some bragging rights and also help themselves up the Championship table when Ryan Lowe's side arrive. North End sit in sixth, three points ahead of Blackburn.

So, what shape are Preston in and how has their season gone so far? We checked in with The Lancashire Evening Post's PNE man, George Hodgson, to find out.

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What's the mood like at PNE right now, sitting sixth after 15 games?

Much better after three points! North End needed one after going on a winless run of seven games, so the victory over Coventry City was more than welcomed. Preston needed to get back on track and restore some of the early-season faith. In the lead-up to the Sky Blues clash, concern had grown among a section of the fan base given PNE's poor attacking data this season. They managed to win six games in a row at the start of the campaign - outperforming their underlying numbers. Overall, sitting sixth after 15 games is a solid effort and a position every Preston fan, surely, would've taken heading into the season. 

Saturday's win was PNE's first in 8 matches, have performances dipped since the start of the season?

This follows on from the earlier point about North End outperforming. Some of PNE's displays across that seven-game winless run were not much different to earlier matches in the season, which Ryan Lowe's men won. Preston fell on the right side of fine margins at the start of the campaign. There were some tough trips in there to Leicester and Ipswich, who were both too strong for PNE on the whole - while West Brom tore the Lilywhites to shreds. North End's best performance of the season arguably came against Southampton though. The late 2-2 draw was a bitter pill to swallow, having turned the game on its head and been seconds away from winning. There was very little in the draws with Rotherham and Millwall, while Hull edged Preston in a typically cagey Championship contest. On the whole, performances haven't been significantly worse by any means - though PNE could do to get back to keeping clean sheets.

How do they feel about a trip to Ewood Park? Confidence after last year's win?

It's well set up, isn't it? Two teams heading into it on the back of wins, under the floodlights on a Friday night. With no Burnley or Blackpool in the league this year, this is the derby fix for PNE and Blackburn so both sides - and fan bases - will be desperate to win. There will be a buzz around North End, given the large away following and success in this fixture over recent years. Last year's win is ultimately in the past and will count for nothing on the day, though I'm sure the squad can use it as a huge motivation to make it another memorable away day. 

Who are the danger men and what areas will be important for PNE to win the game?

North End signed some exciting players in the summer, one of them being Liam Millar who has provided a spark down the left flank. He is a direct wide player whom Preston will look to utilise on the night, while record signing Milutin Osmajic is looking to build on his three goals since signing from Cadiz. Club captain Alan Browne is performing extremely well this season and can inspire North End from midfield. Duane Holmes is also proving a real coup addition and is a constant livewire in the opposition half.

What's the injury situation like?

It could be worse. Andrew Hughes will hopefully return after a month or so out with a calf issue. Liverpool loan man Calvin Ramsay is back in training after a knee issue, but won't be ready to feature in this one. Ali McCann and Jack Whatmough are both sidelined along with long-term absentee Emil Riis.

Score prediction?

Got to back PNE haven't I?! 1-2 away win.