Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League and Wigan Athletic’s winning of League One means Preston North End will face four fellow Lancashire sides during the 2022/23 season.
In fact, the Lilywhites will be facing the Latics on the opening day of the campaign, going to the DW Stadium on Saturday 30th July.
PNE supporters will be hoping for a similar result to the last time they made the journey down the M6 back in February 2020, when goals from Tom Barkhuizen and Daniel Johnson secured a 2-1 North End win. This season, the Latics will travel to Deepdale on Saturday 25th February.
Many North End fans will have their eye on ties against Blackpool, who finished 16th last season under Neil Critchley. With a new man at the helm in Michael Appleton – who returns to Bloomfield Road after Critchley was appointed as assistant manager at Aston Villa – the Seasiders will face PNE at Bloomfield Road on Saturday 22nd October and at Deepdale on Saturday 1st April.
Both sides triumphed at home against the other last season with the most recent meeting between the two being a 1-0 victory for North End at Deepdale back in April, thanks to Cameron Archer’s strike just before half-time.
North End will also be facing Burnley for the first time in six years. That season, they recorded an impressive 2-0 victory at Turf Moor with goals from Will Keane and Daniel Johnson, in a season where the Clarets went on to finish top of the Championship.
In the 2022/23 campaign, PNE will play Burnley at home on Tuesday 13th September and at Turf Moor on Saturday 11th February.
Finally, the Lilywhites and Blackburn Rovers will be locking horns for the fifth consecutive season.
North End face Rovers at Ewood Park in the midst of the FIFA World Cup on Saturday 10th December, which will be the first game back after the scheduled four-week break, and at Deepdale on Saturday 22nd April.
Check out the full fixture list for the 2022/23 season by clicking here.
Please note that these fixtures are subject to change.