Preston boss Simon Grayson is hoping to give the club's supporters local bragging rights with a victory over Sky Bet Championship rivals Wigan on Friday night.
The pair meet at Deepdale with both clubs lying in the bottom six in the division after indifferent starts to the campaign.
But Friday presents a Lancashire local derby and the chance for either side to get their season up and running at the expense of their near-neighbours.
And Grayson, who saw his much-changed Lilywhites beat Bournemouth 3-2 after extra-time in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, knows plenty rests on the meeting.
"There will be a bit of spice about it, but ultimately it's about two teams desperate for three points," he told the club's official website.
"We are looking forward to it, it's a local derby, and when you're involved in a local derby you want to make sure that you're giving your supporters the opportunity to go in to work with the bragging rights on the Monday morning.
"It's a game we are looking forward to, we are looking to build on Tuesday night's performance and the previous Tuesday's against Cardiff."
Wigan go into the game buoyed by their fighting draw with Fulham which ended a run of four losses on the bounce.
The Latics will also look at Preston's 5-0 loss at Brentford last weekend and believe they have a chance to pick up just a second win of the season.
Manager Gary Caldwell is not concerned who the opponents are on Friday night, he just wants to start addressing the form of his Wigan side.
"I think derby games are for the fans really," he told wiganlatics.co.uk.
"As a manager or a player you try to focus on the job, the things we work on every week and the process of what we go through to try and win games.
"You can't get too emotional; we are obviously up for it because we know the importance of it to the fans because the result and the night is for them to enjoy, so we will do everything we can to give them a win and make sure they enjoy their night.
"It's great for the fans; there will be a big following from our away supporters and there will be a good home support too so I expect it to be a good advert for north-west football and the Championship."
Source: PA-WIRE
