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

Preston North End begin life under club legend Graham Alexander with a showdown against Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

At a time when Preston sit in 23rd position in the Championship table, Alex Neil returns to Deepdale with Millwall in 11th place.

Match preview

Nearly 15 years on from a caretaker stint at Deepdale, Graham Alexander has returned to Preston, tasked with the job of moving the club out of the relegation zone.

Leaving a League One promotion bid with Bradford City is a bold decision, yet there was an inevitability of the Scot returning to a club where he made 421 appearances during his playing days.

With Preston already sitting six points adrift of 15th place, Alexander will recognise the importance of getting off to a positive start, and lifting a team that gave up a two-goal lead to 10-man Queens Park Rangers before the international break is a tough ask.

Looking at things in a positive context, though, Preston's four points this season have come from their last four fixtures.

Furthermore, their two defeats during that period were only by one-goal margins, to Watford and Lincoln City respectively.

As Alexander starts his reign, Neil is making his latest return to Preston since his departure in March 2021.

Just one win - a 4-0 victory at home to Bolton Wanderers - has been posted in seven matches, with Millwall also putting together a run of four defeats in five fixtures during that period.

While Neil will be content with back-to-back 2-2 draws with Middlesbrough and West Ham United before the international break, Millwall led 2-0 on both occasions.

In the grand scheme of things, however, Millwall sit just four points adrift of second spot, and there is optimism that they can make quick headway up the table.

Preston North End Championship form:

Millwall Championship form:

Millwall form (all competitions):

Team News

Alexander will likely stick with the back-three system that he was using at Bradford, with Preston using similar tactics under Paul Heckingbottom.

With Ali McCann remaining sidelined and Caleb Wiley not ready to return, Alexander could name the same side from the QPR fixture.

The likes of Pol Valentin, Liam Gibbs and Jusaf Erabi will likely stay on the substitutes' bench.

Millwall midfielder Mathis Servais is expected to miss out after suffering a fresh injury issue over the international break.

Neil could look to retain the same XI from the West Ham game, with the Lions two goals ahead before alterations were made.

That would see Alfie Doughty, Luke Cundle and Kyrell Lisbie kept in reserve.

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Mills, Storey, Hughes, Clarke, Vukcevic; Leroy, Thompson, Devine; Lang, Kenny

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Marschall; Osei-Tutu, Taylor, Cooper, Sturge; Mazou-Sacko, Metcalfe; Sykes, Dykes, Neghli; Arconte

We say: Preston North End 1-3 Millwall

Although Preston showed signs of improvement last time out, they still gave up a two-goal lead. The same applies with Millwall, yet we are backing the Lions to showcase their superior quality in the final third to emerge with a ruthless victory.

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