North End have an enviable record against Leicester (see below) in all competitions but arguably the most important of the 29 wins over the Foxes came last year.

The 1-0 win, secured via the boot of Darren Carter in the final moments, pulled PNE further away from the dropzone and plunged Ian Holloway's men deeper into the relegation dogfight.

In this competition, if tomorrow's game is anything like as exciting as the last time the two sides met in the competition then all attending fans will be in for a cracker. The 10 men of PNE equalised in the last minute via Richard Cresswell and then went on secure passage into the fifth round with Cressy's third of the night in extra time.

PNE haven't qualified for the third round of the Carling Cup since that memorable night five years ago so it's all to play for for Alan Irvine's men.

Preston North End v Leicester City
Carling Cup Third Round
Tuesday 25th August 2009, kick-off 7.45pm
Deepdale

Gaffer's Team News

Barry Nicholson and Youl Mawene are the only confirmed injuries for PNE tomorrow night with the former out for a considerable length of time, as the gaffer confirmed in his pre-match press conference this morning (click here for more details).

Frenchman Mawene is still out with a hamstring injury incurred in the last couple of weeks and Alan Irvine has confirmed that he 'is looking at various different options' with regards to strengthening the team but for tomorrow night his squad could be rotated again.

"I will look at the whole squad and decide what we do with these games in mind, we're still in the early stages of the season, the games are still proving to be very demanding for the players and we know we have a squad that is competitive and we can afford to make changes, we've done that for all the games so far. I feel we can make changes for this game, if we want, and still have a strong enough team to get a result. It won't be an experimental team, it will be a team full of first team players."

The Opposition

Two unbeaten sides battling it out for a place in the third round should make for a tasty encounter at Deepdale tomorrow night however it shouldn't surprise fans to learn that both managers are planning changes to their team (see above and below).

The visiting gaffer will be able to call on the services of new signing Yann Kermogant who impressed enough in recent reserve games to earn a permanent transfer to the Walkers Stadium.

A former player for Stade Reims, the Frenchman will challenge former North End loanee Paul Gallagher and strike sensation Matty Fryatt for places in the Foxes frontline.

The real goal for Pearson's men though is the Premiership and their unbeaten start to the season should serve as a warning to North End as to the quality of the squad at Pearson's disposal.



Manager's View

"There will be changes, no doubt about that but how many and what they will be, we'll have to see. We will have to look at the players and see how they are to see where we're at.

"We have one or two players who need a game. I believe we have good competition within the squad for places and I fully expect whatever side that starts to be competitive and as always we are going there to try to win the game.

"We are delighted to have added Yann to the football club. I now look forward to him having a positive impact on the squad over the coming months."

Leicester City Manager Nigel Pearson on lcfc.com

Player's View

"I know I am going to get chances, it is just being able to take them. I don't feel I am under pressure. I think I will do well with the team.

"The first season I came here I thought I did well and contributed some vital goals, and we managed to stay up. The season we went down was very disappointing, but it has gone now.

"It is a different scenario to two years ago. We have a settled team and the management is settled. I think we have started really well."

Last season's top scoring Fox Matty Fryatt talking goals on thisisleicestershire.co.uk

Head-to-head

PNE v Leicester City All-time Record
PNE wins 29 Draws 16 Leicester City wins 13

PNE v Leicester City Carling Cup Record
PNE wins 1 Leicester City Wins 2

Last Meeting

Leicester City 0 PNE 1
Carter, 90
March 4th 2008



Pnebetting.com Odds
PNE win 5/4
Draw 12/5
Leicester City 21/10

Pnebetting.com Selected Bet
Darren Carter to score first and PNE to win 1-0 - 65/1

Head to pnebetting.com where you can take your pick from almost thirty markets

PNE Player

Tune in to tomorrow night's show on Central Radio and PNE Player to listen to all the action live wherever you are. Central are broadcasting the game on 106.5FM from 7pm in the Preston area but if you hail from outside of their catchment area you can listen live online from 7pm on pne.com's very own PNE Player service.

We will have a very special guest commentator for tomorrow's game and the PNE Player match live console is now fully up and running so if you want to keep in touch with all the running stats, make sure you log in, or subscribe, to the service.

Any final thoughts?

- Tomorrow represents a bit of a reunion for players and coaching staff from both sides. Our assistant manager Rob Kelly used to manage the Foxes and captain Callum Davidson was signed on a free transfer following a four year spell there. Former PNE loanee Wayne Brown may also make an appearance as well as fellow former loanee Paul Gallagher, who signed for the East Midlands side last week.