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

Both looking to bounce back following poor FA Cup showings, Preston North End welcome Derby County to Deepdale for a Championship battle on Saturday afternoon.

The Lilywhites suffered a defeat to League One outfit Wigan Athletic last weekend, whilst the Rams were bested in the East Midlands by Premier League side Leeds United.

Match preview

After back-to-back Championship wins to commence the new calendar year on a positive note, Preston North End would have expected another successful day against Wigan last weekend, however a lowkey FA Cup upset occurred in Lancashire.

The third-tier Latics and 2012 winners of the competition became the first side to earn victory at Deepdale since Blackburn Rovers in November, with a single strike from 18-year-old Harrison Bettoni sending Ryan Lowe's troops into the fourth round.

Left with only second-tier matters to focus on between now and the conclusion of the campaign, Preston will be hellbent on maintaining their spot in the top six, with Paul Heckingbottom's side sitting fourth in the Championship standings.

The Lilywhites have kept up with the promotion-chasing pace thanks to a record of just the single defeat across their last 10 league fixtures, with that loss coming at the North Wales base of Wrexham on December 29.

A key in Preston's impressive first half of the season, Lewis Dobbin has bagged six goals in 20 Championship appearances after scoring just twice in 27 league matches across loan spells at Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion.

Following a New Year's Day success over Premier League-chasing Middlesbrough in the East Midlands courtesy of a Bobby Clark strike, Derby County have suffered consecutive defeats at their Pride Park home.

The latest of those sobering results arrived on Sunday afternoon, when an opening effort from Ben Brereton Diaz was rendered irrelevant by second-half goals from Willy Gnonto, Ao Tanaka and James Justin for Leeds in the FA Cup.

Now on a mission to avoid three straight competitive defeats for the first time since March 2025, Derby are currently occupying 13th spot in the Championship table, six points adrift of in-form Watford in the lowest of the playoff positions.

Ranked fifth in the division based on away form, only Coventry City (6) and Stoke City (6) have enjoyed more than the Rams' five victories on the road so far, although John Eustace's men have won just one of their past four second-tier trips.

Each of the last two meetings between Preston and Derby at Deepdale have ended in a share of the Championship spoils, with the East Midlanders last winning this version of the fixture back in July 2020 courtesy of a solitary Wayne Rooney goal.

Preston North End Championship form: W D D L W W

Preston North End form (all competitions): D D L W W L

Derby County Championship form: W D D L W L

Derby County form (all competitions): D D L W L L

Team News

Last playing competitively for the Republic of Ireland in June, Preston's Robbie Brady is continuing to recover from a calf injury.

The injury-hampered campaign of Lewis Gibson rumbles on, with the Lilywhites defender nursing a muscular problem at the moment.

The hosts' options at the back are reduced further by the absence of Andrija Vukcevic, who picked up a hamstring issue in December.

Despite being sidelined since the end of November, Derby's Carlton Morris remains as their top goalscorer with 10 Championship strikes.

After 45 minutes against top-flight opposition in the FA Cup last weekend, winter arrival Oscar Fraulo is likely to make his second-tier debut on Saturday afternoon.

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Lindsay, Storey, Hughes; Potts, Whiteman, Thompson, Lewis; Devine, Dobbin, Osmajic

Derby County possible starting lineup:

Zetterstrom; Langas, Sanderson, Clarke; Ward, Thompson, Clark, Elder; Brereton Diaz, Agyemang, Brewster

We say: Preston North End 2-1 Derby County

After convincing wins to commence their 2026 Championship duties, Preston should be in line to make it three consecutive victories in the second tier this weekend.

Derby's impressive away form is beginning to wane amid the absence of star players, and we feel that another defeat is forthcoming for the Rams.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.