Danish dynamite and focus on Ryan Lowe

Bristol City host Preston North End at Ashton Gate for their opening fixture of the 2023/24 Championship campaign

Once a perennial bogey team, Bristol City haven’t lost to Preston North End for five matches now, with their last defeat back on December 18, 2020. During that spell they’ve won three and drawn two, banishing the hex that hung over this fixture.

What’s more, penalty-taker-in-chief and destroyer of dreams, Daniel Johnson, is no longer at the club as Ryan Lowe tries to build a squad more in his image for the campaign ahead.

They will, as they usually are, be a tough nut to crack: organised, awkward and obdurate but the expectation will be for Bristol City to secure the three points, and the prospect of this game is no longer met with the cynical groans of old and this time optimism abides in BS3.

To find out a bit more about Saturday's opponents, we spoke to George Hodgson, Preston North End writer for Lancs Live...

You can never take pre-season too seriously, but I'm sure Ryan Lowe would've wanted more from his team. Squad depth was very thin for a lot of it though and that led to lots of young players featuring over the summer - who admittedly did themselves no harm.

Preston played well against Aberdeen and beat them 2-0, but there were defeats at Barrow and Stockport and a goalless draw at Fleetwood. North End's lack of goal threat is a concern as they prepare for the opening fixture, so they will need their senior players to step up at Ashton Gate.

North End fans have been crying out for some more creative recruitment and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen - an attacking midfielder from Danish side Odense - is certainly that. PNE paid a seven figure sum to land him and the 23-year-old has shown his ability to attack the box and score from distance. Also through the door are experienced Championship trio Will Keane, Jack Whatmough and Duane Holmes - who could prove savvy pick-ups for very little money combined.

Calvin Ramsay is an exciting loan addition from Liverpool, but the right wing-back will need to be managed after an injury-hit year. And Layton Stewart arrives from the Reds too, on a permanent deal, as a centre-forward prospect to develop.

Preston are desperate to bring Tom Cannon back to the club after his successful loan spell from Everton last year, while a left wing-back is an essential buy. North End targeted Yasser Larouci and Josh Wilson-Esbrand but missed out on both players.

As many have observed, the Championship line-up this year is pretty daunting. It looks like it's going to be extremely competitive, with the three relegated clubs surely well set for promotion pushes. Lowe said at the end of last season that he isn't interested in being mediocre and floating around mid-table, but he will have to get Preston performing extremely well to push the play-offs this year.

There has been plenty of change in the squad this summer and a fair amount of quality has left the building - in loan stars Cannon, Alvaro Fernandez and departing club stalwart Daniel Johnson. There is no great expectation from the fan base as things stand and therefore a realistic goal would be to finish in the top half.

As mentioned, a left wing-back hasn't been recruited and Robbie Brady is set to miss this one, so a debut for youngster Kian Best could be in store. Lowe has played 3-5-2/3-4-2-1 for the majority of his tenure at Preston, so you'd be stunned to see any other setup from him. His alternative to Best is to deploy one of his experienced left centre-backs in Greg Cunningham and Andrew Hughes down the flank.

I'm expecting Will Keane to lead the line, with a packed midfield behind him. Frokjaer will be asked to get into dangerous positions; it might be a day to keep the back door shut, play on the counter attack and get up and running with an away point or even better three.

It's been an up and down time for Lowe at Deepdale. He's been loved and lambasted in equal measure and this season is going to be a challenge for him. Lowe has been backed relatively well and it's on him to make it all work.

Preston beat Wigan back in February and that was a significant result for the manager. Deepdale was a horrible place at half-time and North End trailed 1-0, but they managed to turn the game around and Preston went on a run after that - which restored some faith in Lowe. Had he lost that game, your gut was telling you it could be the end. You wouldn't say he's won the fan base over for good, nor lost them. A good start to the season would be priceless.

Based on pre-season so far, Frokjaer. He scored two lovely goals from outside the box against Aberdeen and has had chances in most matches he's played. The Dane is getting up to speed with English football and learning how to operate without the ball, but with North End light on attacking numbers he could be vital in the early stages of the campaign.

Ben Whiteman is a huge player for Preston and he's set to miss the first few games of the season, while Brady, Ched Evans and Emil Riis are all sidelined too. Calvin Ramsey isn't up to full match speed just yet and Holmes is looking to shake off a knock picked up in the final friendly.