John Eustace reckons Rovers’ Lancashire derby against Preston North End is a “fantastic” game to have as they aim to bounce back from a tough run of results.

Eustace’s side have lost three successive games in the Championship amid their injury problems, slipping out of the play-off places.

A good crowd is expected at Ewood Park and the head coach wants to make the supporters “proud” against local opposition.

“It is a fantastic game, the lads can't wait for the game,” he said. “Obviously, there is going to be 20,000 at Ewood and we want to do them proud.

“The group of players that have been performing all season have not let anyone down and I am sure that won't be the case again on Friday.”

Eustace insists every team goes through “difficult periods” in the Championship and is confident that Rovers will come through theirs.

“We have got to keep trying to get more,” he added. “We have got to keep pushing the boys. As I say, they are a pleasure to work with. Their attitude every day is fantastic.

“I think where we are at the moment, every team around us has had a period when they haven’t won or they haven't performed through injury, suspensions and just lack of form.

“We are going through that stage at the moment. In the Championship, every team will go through a stage like that.

“That just shows on Friday, if we manage to get a positive result, we can still go fifth. It is certainly not all doom and gloom.

“We are going through a difficult period but, again, the most important thing for me is that you can actually see the performances are still there. We have to defend a little bit better at times, for sure, and we have to be more clinical.

“But as I said when we went through a very small period earlier in the season, I was happy with the performances and I know we will come through them. I know eventually we will come through this sticky period as well.”

Rovers’ defensive record played a key role in getting around the top six, but the side have now kept two clean sheets in their last 10 matches in all competitions.

“The games we have lost have been by one goal, they have all been very tight,” Eustace assessed.

“We just have to be more clinical in that final third. That is what we have to keep working on and we know that.

“We know the areas we want to improve on. We can't keep clean sheets all the time but our goal difference is still very good, goals against, and just the organisation and the commitment is there.

“As I have said before, if we can add two or three bits of quality to this group and get players back, then for the last 18 games, I think we can be in a good position.”

North End enter the game with confidence following a 2-1 win against Middlesbrough last weekend thanks to goals from Stefan Thordarson and Emil Riis either side of half time.

The points were shared when the sides met at Deepdale earlier in the season in what proved to be a feisty encounter.

“It is a very experienced, strong team,” said Eustace. “Obviously, they are managed very well and have lots of experience there. We know they are going to be a really difficult task, a really difficult team to play against.”

The head coach has had a rare free week to work with his squad on the training pitch as Rovers prepare to host PNE.

“The most important thing is the lads have had a couple of days of rest and recovery,” he insisted.

“Again, we have gone through the weight we have just had, which you can easily have in the Championship.

“We have assessed the performances and I think everyone will agree that we deserve to get more points than what we did.

“I am not saying we should have won all the games, but we were disappointed against Oxford, for sure.

“The two games after that, I thought we did enough certainly not to lose the game. The lads are a confident group and they are looking forward to the next challenge.”