Read our full match preview ahead of the crucial trip to Deepdale this weekend...
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Saturday, January 18th
Kick-off: 3pm
Competition: SkyBet League One
Coventry travel to Preston on Saturday hoping to win their second successive away League game.
City drew 2-2 at home to Crawley last Sunday after an own goal from Mat Sadler and a goal from Andy Webster had given them a two-goal lead.
Crawley managed to get a point from the game after two quick goals from Jamie Proctor and Andy Drury in the closing stages.
The Sky Blues also recorded a memorable victory away at Championship side Barnsley in the FA Cup third round in the game previous to Crawley with goals from Franck Moussa and Leon Clarke overturning Jim O’Brien’s early opener for the Tykes.
Preston sit 4th in League One after winning five and drawing two of their last ten League games.
Overall, The Lilywhites have lost four times in the league all season but their latest defeat came last time out when they travelled to Molineux to face Wolves. The hosts won 2-0 courtesy of goals from David Edwards and teenage striker Lee Evans.
In the FA Cup, North End beat Championship play-off chasers Ipswich Town after a replay at Deepdale, to gain an away tie at Nottingham Forest in the fourth round.
The first match finished 1-1 after former City striker David McGoldrick gave the hosts the lead, knocking home the rebound from his initial penalty which was saved by young goalkeeper Declan Rudd. Veteran striker Kevin Davies equalised for the away outfit.
Preston won the replay 3-2 with a hat-trick from young striker Joe Garner helping secure the win. Frank Nouble gave Town the lead just before the hour mark but two quick goals from Garner turned the game on its head with 20 minutes remaining.
McGoldrick equalised for the away side with time running out but the League One side made it through to face Forest after Garner completed his hat-trick with just two minutes of normal time remaining.
Preston North End line-up v Ipswich: Rudd, Keane, Laird, Kilkenny, Clarke, Huntington, Humphrey, Brownhill, Davies, Gallagher and Hayhurst.
Signings
Preston signed Kevin Davies from Bolton on a free transfer in the summer as well as loaning goalkeeper Declan Rudd from Premier League Norwich City for a second spell.
In October, PNE agreed to sign Paul Gallagher on loan until the end of the season from Championship highfliers Leicester City and the forward has scored four goals in 12 appearances since his move.
The January transfer window has so far seen North End sign defender Scott Wiseman on a free transfer from Barnsley and made loan signing Neil Kilkenny a permanent deal after the 27 year old midfielder agreed to terminate his previous deal with Bristol City.
Joe Garner
With eight goals from 30 appearances in the league this season, the 25-year-old is someone that the Sky Blues need to be wary of. As previously mentioned, the striker scored a hat-trick in the win against Ipswich Town on Tuesday and is in good form having scored five goals in his last four games.
Garner has been at eight clubs since signing a professional deal with Blackburn Rovers in July 2006. After a loan spell at Carlisle United, in which he scored five goals in 19 league games, he joined the Cumbrians on a permanent deal and scored 14 goals in 31 appearances.
Garner moved to Nottingham Forest for a fee of more than £1million and scored nine goals in 48 appearances for the East Midlands team. Whilst at the City ground, the striker joined Huddersfield and Scunthorpe on loan deals.
In August 2011, the Blackburn-born striker left Forest and joined Watford for an undisclosed fee. In 24 games he scored just a single goal but had a successful spell at old club Carlisle when he scored 8 goals in 18 league and cup games.
Garner has been at Preston more than a year now after signing for them in January 2013. This season he has scored 12 goals in 22 games and is the current top goal-scorer for the Deepdale club.
Coventry and Preston have played each other 37 times altogether in 104 years.
The first game was an FA Cup match at Deepdale in 1910 which Coventry won 2-1.
In the league, Preston have won 14 times to Coventry’s ten.
The clubs have played each other 4 times in cup competitions and the Sky Blues have won all of them.
Last five meetings
Coventry 4-4 Preston, League One, 25/08/2013
Preston 2-2 Coventry, League One, 26/01/2013
Coventry 3-2 Preston, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, 10/01/2013
Coventry 1-1 Preston, League One, 22/12/2012
Preston 2-1 Coventry, Championship, 19/03/2011
Sam Allardyce
Allardyce joined Bolton Wanderers in 1973, making 184 appearances and scoring 21 goals. After leaving the Whites, he had spells at Sunderland, Millwall and Tampa Bay Rowdies before joining Coventry in 1983 scoring once in 28 games.
Allardyce played for Huddersfield and then rejoined Bolton before going back to Preston and scored twice in 90 matches. Spells at WBA and then Limerick followed before Allardyce finished his playing career at Preston North End.
Allardyce is now manager of West Ham United in the Premier League.
Stephen Elliott
Dublin-born striker Elliott started his career as a youth player at Manchester City but joined Sunderland in June 2004 and made his debut against Coventry City.
He then joined Wolves before a move to Preston North End in 2008 and made 46 appearances and scored seven times for the Lilywhites.
Elliott played for Norwich on-loan during his time at Deepdale and then moved to Hearts before switching to the Sky Blues where he made 18 appearances and scored four times.
The Irish forward is currently without a club.
Elliott Ward
The central defender started at West Ham and had loans at Peterborough United, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle before making the move to Coventry City in 2006. Whilst with the Sky Blues, Ward scored 14 goals in 116 games.
Whilst with the Sky Blues, he had further loan spells at Doncaster Rovers and Preston before leaving for Norwich City in 2010.
Ward is now at Championship side Bournemouth.