Taking part in their first Lancashire derby of the 2024-25 schedule, Preston North End will welcome an in-form Blackburn Rovers side to Deepdale for a Championship clash on Sunday afternoon.
The Lilywhites were involved in a record-breaking EFL Cup match with Fulham earlier this week, whilst Rovers have enjoyed a clear midweek to recoup following a comfortable victory in the second tier last Saturday.
A Cup Win Gives Preston Some Momentum
Against the odds, Preston North End booked their spot in the last 16 of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, when goals from Ryan Ledson and Fulham's Reiss Nelson in normal time meant that the contest was decided from 12 yards out, with the hosts eventually winning 16-15 on penalties after 34 nerve-wracking spot kicks.
Although in front of a sparsely-populated Deepdale, success over the Premier League Cottagers was arguably the highlight of Paul Heckingbottom's reign in charge of the club so far, with the 47-year-old taking over from former head coach Ryan Lowe at the end of August. During his two-year spell at Sheffield United, Heckingbottom showcased his promotion-winning credentials, and the expectation will be to eventually do the same at Preston, although Sunday's hosts are currently occupying 21st position in the Championship table after a rocky start to the campaign.
The Lilywhites are back at Deepdale this weekend for the second time in the league since the arrival of Heckingbottom, with his maiden second-tier match at the club's base ending in victory on August 24, when a first-half strike from Will Keane was enough to defeat recently-relegated Luton Town.
Preston will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run in this specific Lancashire derby to five matches on Sunday afternoon, with the Lilywhites last losing to Blackburn in the final game of the Championship before the Qatar World Cup in December 2022, when Tony Mowbray's Rovers won 4-1 at Deepdale.
Blackburn's Unbeaten Run
Finishing just three points above the drop zone last season as they avoided relegation to League One on the final day in May, Blackburn Rovers were preparing for a transitional season in 2024-25 during John Eustace's first full campaign in charge, but early results suggest that Sunday's visitors could be challenging for a greater prize.
Keeping company with league leaders West Bromwich Albion and Chris Wilder's Sheffield United, Rovers are one of three sides who are yet suffer defeat in the Championship this season, with Eustace's charges winning three and drawing two of their opening five league battles, meaning that they sit third in the standings.
After scoring four and six respectively against Derby County and Stockport County in the middle of August, Blackburn showcased their serious attacking threat once again last weekend, when the one-time Premier League champions secured a three-goal success over Bristol City.
Bagging a brilliant brace against Liam Manning's helpless Robins, Yuki Ohashi doubled his Championship goal tally to four last time out, with the new arrival from the J1 League doing his utmost to fill the shoes of Sammie Szmodics, who won the second-tier Golden Boot as a Blackburn player last campaign before securing a switch to Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town.
Following their struggles to fight back from losing positions last season, Eustace's side have recorded back-to-back away draws at Norwich City and recently-relegated Burnley so far this term, despite falling behind in both of those matches on the road.
Team News
Preston remain without the services of last season's leading marksman Keane, who is expected to be back at some point next month following a hamstring injury. The Lilywhites worked extremely hard for their win over Fulham in the EFL Cup earlier this week and centre-back Patrick Bauer could be a casualty of those efforts, with the German forced off due to a shoulder knock in the second half.
First-choice defender Andrew Hughes suffered a nasty kick to the ankle during a cameo on Tuesday night, although Preston boss Heckingbottom has claimed that the Welshman's issue should not be too serious.
Blackburn have started the campaign admirably despite a number of major absentees, with full-backs Harry Pickering and Callum Brittain both on the sidelines. Rovers' options are also restricted at the heart of their backline, with Scott Wharton out of action until the New Year due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Probable Lineups
Preston North End possible starting lineup: Woodman; Potts, Whatmough, Storey, Hughes; Whiteman, McCann, Bowler, Frokjaer-Jensen, Greenwood; Jakobsen
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup: Pears; Batth, Carter, Hyam, Beck; Travis, Tronstad, Baker, Dolan, Hedges; Ohashi
Looking Ahead
Preston have won each of their last three matches at Deepdale across all competitions, suggesting that they will be a good challenge for unbeaten Blackburn on Sunday. That being said, Rovers are in sensational form at the start of the Championship season and should be able to fire themselves to victory in their second Lancashire derby of the term.
The Verdict
With both sides having the ability to score and defend with equal measure, this could be a tight encounter. However, Blackburn's current form suggests they might have the edge.
