Preston North End host fellow Championship side Huddersfield Town in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon at Deepdale, with both teams looking to improve on inconsistent festive periods in the second tier.
These two historic clubs have three FA Cups between them but have both struggled to reach the latter stages of this famous competition in recent times.
Match preview
© Reuters
Preston kicked off 2023 in style with a much-needed victory at Stoke City on Monday, with forward Ched Evans netting a 93rd-minute winner to send the away following at the bet365 Stadium into hysterics.
After three-straight losses to finish 2022 on a damp note, a first clean sheet in seven collected in Staffordshire was just as important as the three points, with Ryan Lowe desperate to get his side back to their remarkable early-season defensive form.
That victory maintained the Lilywhites' position in the top 10 of the Championship table, with Lowe's men trailing sixth-placed Millwall by just two points as league matters take a break for the FA Cup.
Preston's home form has been a major factor in why the club are not serious contenders for automatic promotion this season, and having lost their last three matches at Deepdale - including a 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield on Boxing Day - it would be a big result if they were victorious on home soil this weekend.
On top of that, North End's recent record in the FA Cup does not point towards a fourth-round berth, with the Lilywhites failing to progress past the third round in six of the seven seasons since they were promoted from League One in 2015.
© Reuters
After reaching last season's playoff final against Nottingham Forest at Wembley, Huddersfield fans might have been dreaming that their 2023 would start with a glamorous clash against Manchester City or Liverpool in the top flight.
In reality, New Year's Day saw the Terriers lose 2-1 at home to Luton Town, a result which keeps Mark Fotheringham's side in the relegation zone in the Championship - such a contrast from the success of last season under the stewardship of Carlos Corberan.
Two-straight wins at the end of 2022 against Preston and Rotherham United managed to lift Huddersfield off the bottom of the league standings, but there is still an enormous amount of work to do in order to retain the club's second-tier status.
On the whole, Fotheringham's men have been terrible travellers so far this season, with only eight of their 25 points coming from trips away from the John Smith's Stadium - so perhaps forcing a replay might be a fruitful strategy if Huddersfield begin to struggle at Deepdale on Saturday.
Town have failed to make it past the third round of the FA Cup in four of the last five campaigns, with their solitary FA Cup title coming just over a century ago in the 1921-22 season.
Team News
© Reuters
Preston have suffered a huge injury blow this week as Emil Riis Jakobsen picked up a serious knee injury in the game at Stoke, with the Dane set to see a specialist to determine a timescale for his recovery.
Robbie Brady (muscle), Sean Maguire (leg) and Troy Parrott (hamstring) all remain sidelined for the Lilywhites who were hit particularly hard over the World Cup break with injuries.
Huddersfield's new signing Matt Lowton is available for selection on Saturday after completing a loan switch from Burnley earlier in the week, with the 33-year-old expected to receive plenty of game time considering Oliver Turton's ankle injury.
A long-term absentee for the Terriers is Japan's Yuta Nakayama after the 25-year-old picked up an Achilles tendon injury back in November during a home defeat to Sunderland.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Diaby, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, McCann, Whiteman, Johnson, Fernandez; Woodburn, Evans
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Lees, Helik, Boyle; Thomas, Kasumu, Camara, Ruffels; Rudoni, Holmes, Ward
We say: Preston North End 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Preston have started to struggle after a solid start to the Championship season, but an FA Cup win this weekend against a Huddersfield side that are poor travellers is very plausible.
The Terriers may opt to rotate their XI heavily as they look to focus on securing their second-tier survival, and if that is the case then they should fully expect to exit the FA Cup at this early stage.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
