Preview: Derby County vs Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to build on their first league victory of the season last weekend, Derby County will welcome Preston North End to Pride Park on Saturday.

The hosts made it three games unbeaten and moved up to 19th spot with a three-point haul on the road last Saturday, while their visitors sit eighth after a pleasing start to the campaign.

Match preview

Derby County head into the weekend in search of back-to-back Championship victories, having bounced back from a slow start to their campaign last time out.

In their first full season under the management of John Eustace, who took charge in February, they set out to build on last season's survival and 19th-placed finish but were only able to put two points on the board in their first four attempts.

The Rams began with consecutive defeats to Stoke City and Coventry City, conceding eight goals along the way, before opening their account with 1-1 and 2-2 draws against Bristol City and Ipswich Town respectively before the international break.

Eustace's men then faced a tough trip to West Bromwich Albion on their return to action on Saturday, but they were able to put a first notch in their wins column alongside a first clean sheet, as Andreas Weimann broke the deadlock and sealed a 1-0 victory at The Hawthorns in the 84th minute.

Now boosted by that first triumph and having shown more positive signs at the back after conceding 11 goals in their first four outings, Derby County will bid to extend a winning run in the coming weeks to climb away from the bottom end of the Championship table, beginning with a maiden home victory on Saturday.

They face a tough test, though, as the visitors arrive in Derbyshire with a chance to break into the top six in the Championship.

After a 20th-placed finish last time around, only trailing Saturday's hosts on goal difference, Paul Heckingbottom's second season as Preston North End manager has been an encouraging one thus far, having collected eight points from their first five games.

Following an opening-day draw, the Lilywhites recorded consecutive victories last month to get up and running quickly, beating promotion-hopefuls and newly-relegated duo Leicester City and Ipswich Town 2-1 and 1-0 respectively at Deepdale, with Milutin Osmajic scoring the decisive goal on both occasions.

A first defeat did then follow at the hands of Portsmouth, before they returned from the international break against Middlesbrough last weekend and ended the visitors' perfect start to the season, albeit being held to a draw in agonising fashion as Sontje Hansen equalised in injury time after Lewis Dobbin and Jordan Storey had Heckingbottom's men 2-1 up.

Still with plenty of positives to take from their first five league outings, Preston North End now head to Pride Park with the aim of getting back to winning ways to continue to establish themselves at the right end of the division in the coming weeks.

Derby County Championship form:

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Derby County form (all competitions):

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Preston North End Championship form:

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Preston North End form (all competitions):

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Team News

Derby County may be unchanged from last week's victory, with Curtis Nelson, Owen Beck, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Sondre Langas set to remain confined to the treatment room.

Attacker Rhian Brewster also missed the trip to West Bromwich Albion, and if his absence continues Bobby Clark will hope to again join fellow summer arrivals Ben Brereton Diaz and Carlton Morris in attack.

They face competition, though, with Patrick Agyemang and Andreas Weimann, who scored the winner off the bench last time out, hoping to come in from the start, while Ebou Adams and Lewis Travis are bound to get the nod again in the engine room.

Preston North End will remain without Robbie Brady, Will Keane, Brad Potts and Jordan Thompson on Saturday due to ongoing injuries.

They are expected to welcome key attacker Milutin Osmajic back to contention after his own layoff, though, and the Montenegro international may come straight back in to lead the line having scored in each of his three Championship appearances so far this season.

If deemed fit, he could have support from Aston Villa loanee Lewis Dobbin, who netted his second goal for the club last weekend, while Alfie Devine should again join Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann in the middle of their 3-5-2 setup.

Derby County possible starting lineup:

Zetterstrom; Sanderson, Clarke, Forsyth; Johnston, Adams, Travis, Elder; Weimann, Morris, Brereton Diaz

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Storey, Gibson, Hughes; Valentin, Devine, Whiteman, McCann, Small; Dobbin, Osmajic

We say: Derby County 1-1 Preston North End

Derby County may be up and running after their first league win of the season last weekend and certainly have the tools to hurt their visitors, but Preston North End arrive with confidence of their own and could leave Pride Park with at least a point, especially if star forward Osmajic is deemed fit to feature.

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