How the play-off push is expected to play out for PNE, Sunderland, Norwich City and Swansea

North End have been one of the best teams in the league on the road this season — only the Clarets and Sheffield United have fared better — but Nathan Tella’s hat-trick saw their Lancashire rivals take another stride towards the Premier League.

The Lilywhites, who had collected 27 points from 14 games on their travels heading into the clash at Turf Moor, had their four-game winning stretch away from Deepdale ripped away from them.

Ryan Lowe's side have picked up six points out of a possible 15 so far in 2023, but they remain in play-off contention, despite slipping down to mid-table.

They're just six points adrift of sixth place Watford, with a game in hand on the Hornets, but they'll have to improve their home form if they're to rein in their rivals.

North End have lost five in a row on their own patch, and only relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic have a worse home record this term, so they'll need to start putting that right when they host high-flying Luton Town on Wednesday night.

According to an updated predictions table from FiveThirtyEight, Preston are predicted to finish in the bottom half of the Championship, in 15th place to be exact.

The ‘supercomputer’ has PNE dropping three places from their current position after the final 16 games of the campaign.

It is forecasted that the Lilywhites will finish on 60 points, 20 more than their return so far, which will position them behind Bristol City and Birmingham City on goal difference.

Should their estimations come to fruition, it would represent North End's lowest league finish and points total since promotion from League One in 2015.

According to statisticians and data experts, Lowe’s men have a 4 per cent chance of making the playoffs and just a 2 per cent chance of relegation this season.

Elsewhere, Lancashire rivals Blackpool are predicted to be relegated in 23rd place, just one point behind Cardiff City in 21st .

Following the completion of this weekend’s round of fixtures, data experts at FiveThirtyEight have crunched the numbers and predicted how the final Championship table will look…

FiveThirtyEight’s predicted Championship table

Burnley 97 (+44)

Sheffield United 88 (+35)

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Middlesbrough 76 (+20)

Millwall 73 (+13)

Luton Town 73 (+11)

West Brom 71 (+14)

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Norwich City 68 (+10)

Watford 68 (+5)

Sunderland 67 (+11)

Swansea 64 (+3)

Blackburn Rovers 63 (-9)

Coventry City 62 (+1)

Bristol City 60 (0)

Birmingham City 60 (-2)

PRESTON 60 (-12)

QPR 59 (-8)

Hull City 58 (-12)

Reading 58 (-15)

Stoke City 57 (-4)

Rotherham United 49 (-16)

Cardiff City 46 (-19)

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Wigan Athletic 46 (-28)

Blackpool 45 (-22)

Huddersfield Town 44 (-19)