Two EFL Championship sides are to set to go head-to-head on Sunday as Preston North End host Sunderland at Deepdale on Tuesday in the first round of the EFL Cup.
The hosts lost their opening league fixture 2-0 to Sheffield United, while the visitors defeated Cardiff 2-0 in their first match of the season.
Match preview
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Since being promoted back into the Championship as the League One playoff winners in 2014-15, Preston have comfortably avoided relegation in each of the subsequent years.
Instead, the Lilywhites have found themselves fighting for a place in the playoff places and a chance at promotion to the Premier League, coming closest in 2017-18 when they finished seventh, narrowly missing out by just two points.
After recording back-to-back 13th and a 12th-placed finish between 2020 and 2023, Preston were looking to bridge the gap to the top six in 2023-24, and looked to have an outside chance of qualifying for the playoffs heading into the campaign's closing stages.
However, their chances of placing in the top six were ultimately crushed as they lost all of their final five league matches, unbelievably failing to score in that time, leaving them in 10th with 63 points, 10 adrift of the playoff spots.
Heading into his fourth season at the helm, Ryan Lowe will once again be hoping to push for a chance at promotion and finish in the top six, something they have failed to do since 2008-09.
Lowe's men failed to get off to the perfect start, losing 2-0 to Sheffield United at their home ground, extending their unwanted streak of not winning their opening league game to six years.
Their opponents will also be looking to clinch promotion to the Premier League this season, bringing an end to a dismal eight-year absence from the top flight.
Sunderland had established themselves as a consistent Premier League side prior to their relegation in 2016-17, though they had only narrowly survived the drop in the previous seasons.
That relegation was followed by another disappointing drop to League One in 2017-18, where they would stay until a playoff victory in 2021-22, and they have endured two vastly opposing terms back in the Championship.
The Black Cats were defeated 3-2 in the semi-final of the 2022-23 playoffs but were unable to follow that up with another successful year, dropping to a 16th-place finish last term.
Regis Le Bris kicked off a new era for the club on Saturday, guiding his new team to a brilliant 2-0 victory against Cardiff City, building excitement ahead of the campaign.
The Frenchman will be hoping Sunderland can continue that positive momentum against Preston, a side they have beaten two times at Deepdale in their past four visits.
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Team News
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Lowe will have a full squad to choose from for this one, and the manager is likely to field a strong side as he searches for Preston's first win of the 2024-25 season.
Freddie Woodman was deemed fit enough for the defeat to Sheffield United having been a doubt in the weeks prior due to illness, but the keeper is likely to play again here.
Summer signing Kaine Kesler-Hayden could join fellow additions Sam Greenwood and Stefan Teitur Thordarson in the starting side after appearing from the bench last time out.
Highly-rated defender Daniel Ballard and Jenson Seelt are both set to be unavailable for this match as they continue their recovery from injury issues.
Jack Clarke has been the subject of intense interest during the summer window but the talented wide player remains at the club and is anticipated to start alongside Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg here.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, Whiteman, Thordarson, Brady; Greenwood, Kesler-Hayden; Keane
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Alese, Cirkin; Browne, Neil; Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke; Mayenda
We say: Preston North End 1-2 Sunderland
While Preston fell to defeat in their opening fixture, Sunderland picked up a confidence-boosting victory, and we expect the visitors to continue their positive momentum with a win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
