Preston North End play their second home game in the space of three days with a Roses battle against West Yorkshiremen Huddersfield Town at Deepdale this Saturday.
Both sides will be looking for a positive result after contrasting midweek matches, with the Terriers unable to get anything from their trip to Wayne Rooney’s Derby County, whilst the Lilywhites were unable to break down QPR in front of the Sky cameras in PR1.
The two sides last met back in late October, when North End came from behind to take all three points at the John Smith’s Stadium, thanks to a superb brace from skipper Alan Browne.
The Irish international midfielder moved back into the middle of the park against Mark Warburton’s men in midweek and if he continues in that role, he will look to keep up a good record against the visitors, who he scored a late winner against in the same game back in 2016.
Match Information
Competition: EFL Sky Bet Championship (33/46)
Date: Saturday 27th February, kick-off 7.45pm
Venue: Deepdale
Kit: 2020/21 home kit – click here to buy it now!
Head To Head: PNE wins – 35; Draws – 23; Huddersfield Town - 35
Team News
Alex Neil’s injury list continues to grow, with Liam Lindsay and Paul Gallagher having missed Wednesday’s entertaining goalless draw with Queens Park Rangers at Deepdale.
The on loan centre half and the experienced midfielder joined Ryan Ledson, Sean Maguire, Billy Bodin, Declan Rudd, Patrick Bauer and Louis Moult in the stands for the clash with Mark Warburton’s men.
For Carlos Corberán, he will need to check on the status of Jonathan Hogg’s injury, after the midfielder missed the midweek defeat at Derby County.
Jaden Brown will be missing after his red card late in the game at Pride Park, whilst new recruit Yaya Sanogo, might not be ready to be involved yet after completing his quarantine period.
Match Officials
Taking charge of his Saturday’s game is Isle of Wight match official James Linington, his second Deepdale visit of the season, having officiated the 2-2 home draw with Wycombe Wanderers at the beginning of December.
The referee took charge of just one PNE game last season, the 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, as well as two PNE games the year before, our August trip to Swansea City and the final game of the season away at Brentford.
He was also the man in charge of the game for our game with Cardiff City in December 2017, when Tom Clarke scored a late winner. James took charge of three PNE games that season in all, the trio all away from home, with the games being the 2-1 win at Hull City back in September, the aforementioned game at the Cardiff City Stadium and the 1-0 win at Sheffield United in our final away game of last season.
Four seasons ago, the referee made his first visit ever to Deepdale for the clash with Wolves back in November and was then the referee in the away game at Derby County back in March.
The season before he was referee of the PNE game at Ashton Gate, when Greg Cunningham scored the winner against his former club and that was his third game in charge of PNE. The other time he refereed North End was another game in the south of England, when the Lilywhites won 1-0 at Gillingham in the League One promotion season, courtesy of Paul Huntington’s goal in his first start of the season.
So far this season he has officiated 21 games, issuing 46 yellow cards and two reds and he
Has not refereed the Terriers yet this term. He will be assisted by Mark Dwyer and Rob Merchant, with experienced Championship official Stephen Martin acting as the fourth official.
Match Coverage
North End fans in the UK and Ireland can watch Saturday’s game live on iFollow PNE, with purchases of a £10 match pass available now.
Jonathan Breeze and former North End striker Brett Ormerod are on commentary duties, with replays, graphics and coverage from Deepdale from approximately 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon.
Click here now to sign up for a match pass
Linked Stories
Alex Neil On Terriers Test: Preston North End manager Alex Neil is expecting another tight tactical battle when the Lilywhites face Carlos Corberán’s Huddersfield Town at Deepdale this Saturday. Click here for the full interview.
A Match To Remember: It's five years ago, astonishingly, since the game we look back to for our latest blast from the past, as now club captain Alan Browne grabbed a last-ditch winner to earn PNE victory over the Terriers. Click here for the details.
Jordan Storey Feeling Sharp After Return: Preston North End central defender Jordan Storey admits that after the departure of Ben Davies and the season-ending injury to Patrick Bauer, he needed to step up. Click here for Jordan’s thoughts.
The One And Only Issue 17: The Preston North End 2020/21 top scorer Scott Sinclair is the main feature in Saturday’s matchday programme against West Yorkshire visitors Huddersfield Town. Click here for more information and to order your copy.
A Foot In Both Camps: We head over to India for our latest interviewee in this feature, to catch up with a former defender of both the Lilywhites and the Terriers. Click here to read the interview.
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