Preview: Preston North End vs Huddersfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Preston North End and Huddersfield Town will kick off their competitive seasons on Saturday, when they square off in the EFL Cup first round at Goodison Park.

Preston have suffered five straight losses in pre-season ahead of their Championship campaign while their opponents are under new permanent management and hoping to challenge for promotion from League One.

Match preview

Preston North End will raise the curtain on 2026-27 on Saturday after a tough pre-season run as they gear up for another Championship campaign.

Last season was their 11st straight year in England's second tier and first full one under Paul Heckingbottom, who oversaw an eventual 14th-placed finish, while they got to the EFL Cup second round before dropping out in a defeat to Wrexham.

In their 46 league games, the Lilywhites managed 60 points, winning 15, drawing 15 and losing 16, including three of their final four to drop to 14th.

Heckingbottom's side made a winning start to pre-season after setting their sights on 2026-27, beating Bamber Bridge 4-1, but they have suffered five consecutive defeats since, falling to Sheffield Wednesday, Cambridge United, Marine and Bradford City before losing 1-0 away at Stockport County last weekend with Jack Diamond netting the only goal.

Keen to get up and running and take the positives from a tough run of friendlies, they head to Goodison Park in search of an opening win to progress in the EFL Cup.

Their opponents, meanwhile, head into their own first competitive game of the term after a summer of change.

In their second straight season in League One, Huddersfield Town again failed to make the playoffs in their bid to return to the Championship, finishing ninth on 67 points from their 46 matches - eight points short of the playoffs.

Their two years in the third tier have come in spells under Michael Duff, Jon Worthington, Lee Grant, Liam Manning and Martin Drury, who oversaw the final run of the term and has since been handed the permanent reins with the aim of mounting a more sustained bid to return to the Championship.

That has coincided with a busy summer of incomings and outgoings, while the Terriers have played seven pre-season friendlies and won three, most recently drawing 1-1 in a meeting with Blackburn Rovers thanks to Marcus Harness's goal.

They now head to Goodison Park aiming to get up and running and book their place in the second round before getting started in League One.

Preston North End form (all competitions):

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Huddersfield Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Paul Heckingbottom fielded a strong Preston starting XI for their final friendly against Stockport, and we should see a similar setup at the weekend as they get up and running in competitive action.

They have only been able to make limited summer additions, with the headline signing being the permanent capture of Alfie Devine, who impressed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last season, racking up eight goals and six assists in the Championship from midfield.

Their only other outfield summer addition, Genk loanee Jusef Erabi, may get the nod to lead the line over the likes of Milutin Osmajic, while defenders Jordan Storey and Liam Lindsay will compete for spots after Andrew Hughes, Odel Offiah and Lewis Gibson got the nod in their last friendly.

Huddersfield Town were also seemingly at full strength last weekend as they concluded pre-season against Blackburn Rovers and will line up similarly at Goodison Park.

After seeing his debut campaign badly hit by injuries, Jack Whatmough, who joined the Terriers from Preston in 2025, should start at the back against his old club.

Joe Taylor will hope to earn Drury's favour with the league season looming, while the Yorkshire side have also added to their attacking ranks with Ashley Fletcher, who scored 15 League One goals for Blackpool in 2025-26.

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Offiah, Lindsay, Gibson; Valentin, McCann, Thompson, Devine, Vukcevic; Moran; Erabi

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Young; Balker, Whatmough, Roughan; Bronkhorst, Ledson, Kasumu, Mumba; Harness; Taylor, Fletcher

We say: Preston North End 2-1 Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town perhaps look better prepared for the 2026-27 and Saturday's opener on neutral venue, but their opponents do have the edge in quality and should be able to shake off a pre-season losing run to progress at Goodison Park.

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