Preview: Preston North End vs Wigan Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Championship outfit Preston North End will be aiming to book their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup when they tackle Wigan Athletic on Friday.

PNE have famously won the FA Cup on two occasions, lifting the trophy in 1888-89 and 1937-38, while the Latics triumphed in the competition in 2012-13.

Match preview

Preston have a rich history in the FA Cup, having won the tournament in both 1888-89 and 1937-38, while they have been in the final on a further five occasions, with their last position in the showpiece event coming in 1963-64.

The Lilywhites have joined this season's competition in the third round, and they will be the favourites to beat a Wigan side that play a division lower.

Paul Heckingbottom's side will enter the match off the back of successive victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City, with the results moving them into fourth spot in the Championship table, collecting 43 points from 26 matches.

Preston are only three points behind second-placed Middlesbrough and very much in the race to battle for promotion in the final months of the season.

The Lilywhites have faced Wigan on 51 previous occasions, boasting a record of 21 wins, 15 draws and 15 defeats, including a 2-1 success when the two teams locked horns in the Championship in the early stages of 2023.

Wigan have not overcome Preston since April 2019, losing three of the last four meetings, and this will actually be the first time that the two sides have locked horns in the FA Cup.

Ryan Lowe's side will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City, which has left them in 15th spot in the League One table, boasting 30 points from 24 matches.

Consistency has been a problem for Wigan this term, and the team are currently nine points off the top six, while they sit just three points above the relegation zone.

The Latics famously won the FA Cup in 2012-13, beating Manchester City in the final, and they have had to win twice to reach the third round of the 2025-26 competition.

Indeed, Wigan beat Hemel Hempstead on penalties in the first round of the tournament before also needing penalties to overcome Barrow in round two.

Preston North End form (all competitions):

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Wigan Athletic FA Cup form:

Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):

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Team News

Preston remain without the services of Lewis Gibson and Robbie Brady due to injury problems, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape.

Head coach Heckingbottom will make wholesale changes to his starting side for the FA Cup fixture, with Will Keane, Daniel Jebbison and Michael Smith potentially featuring as an all-new front three following the league game with Bristol City.

There should also be spots in the side for both Ali McCann and Pol Valentin.

As for Wigan, Isaac Mabaya, Jack Rogers and Ryan Trevitt will miss the contest through injury, but the visitors have no fresh fitness issues.

The team is expected to be similar to the one that started in the previous round of the competition, with squad players set to be given further chances to impress, but there should also be a start for key defender James Carragher.

Wigan will not be able to call upon Paul Mullin, though, with the striker returning to parent club Wrexham, who need to make a decision on his future.

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Walton; Lindsay, Storey, Hughes; Valentin, McCann, Whiteman, Small; Smith, Jebbison, Keane

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Tickle; Carragher, Aimson, Fox; Smith; Murray, Francois, Wright, Rodrigues; Saydee, Costelloe

We say: Preston North End 2-0 Wigan Athletic

Both managers will make changes to their strongest sides for this match, and Wigan are capable of causing Preston problems, but we are expecting the Championship outfit to secure their spot in the fourth round of the tournament.