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

Wrexham square off against Preston North End on Saturday afternoon aware that they need maximum points to catapult themselves up the Championship table.

At a time when the Dragons sit in 17th position, Preston are in bottom spot and already at risk of being cut adrift from the teams above them.

Match preview

Despite his legendary status at the club, there may come a time when Phil Parkinson has to justify keeping his job as Wrexham boss.

Just two wins and 11 points from 10 matches are far below expectations, and it has left Wrexham only three points above the relegation zone.

Parkinson will point to victories over Millwall and Southampton as examples of what his side can do, but collecting just one point from games against Derby County and West Bromwich Albion since the international break has lowered the mood at the Racecourse Ground.

Wrexham's only clean sheet this season came in a goalless draw with Swansea City, yet the solitary occasion where they have conceded more than twice in a game during 2026-27 was the 6-0 defeat at West Ham United.

Perhaps most concerningly, Wrexham have netted more than twice in a match this season just once, and their fortunes will not improve unless they score at more than a rate of 11 goals in 10 fixtures.

Graham Alexander may only be two matches into his Preston reign, but the club legend will be worried that he made the wrong decision to leave League One title contenders Bradford City.

While positives could be taken from the 1-0 defeat to Millwall at the weekend, there were none after a 4-0 loss at Birmingham City on Tuesday night.

Preston have now conceded 20 goals from 10 games, losing eight times, to sit four points adrift of safety. That will increase should Burnley avoid defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.

Their only success this season remains a victory over North-West rivals Blackburn Rovers, while their only other point came from a 2-2 draw against a Queens Park Rangers side who played most of the match with 10 players.

Wrexham Championship form:

Preston North End Championship form:

Team News

Parkinson is expected to make alterations to his Wrexham XI, with Lewis O'Brien and Sam Smith among those who will expect a recall.

Danny Imray and Ryan Longman are also alternatives on the flanks, but Max Cleworth, Ben Sheaf and Nathan Broadhead are expected to remain sidelined.

As well as Preston wide player Stanley Mills serving a one-match ban, Liam Gibbs is expected to miss out with the injury that he sustained at Birmingham.

Pol Valentin and Andrew Moran could feature at wing-back and in midfield respectively, while Jusef Erabi may get the nod over Callum Lang in attack.

However, the likes of Harry Clarke and Johnny Kenny are expected to miss out, particularly the former who Alexander describes as being sidelined for "a little while".

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Patterson; Imray, Hyam, Vyner, Doyle, Ekomie; Dobson, Whiteman; O'Hare, O'Brien; Smith

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Offiah, Storey, Hughes; Valentin, Thompson, Leroy, Small; Moran, Devine; Erabi

We say: Wrexham 3-1 Preston North End

With wins having been hard to come by, Wrexham taking advantage of Preston's dismal form is far from a given. Nevertheless, at this moment in time, the visitors to the Racecourse Ground do not look like a Championship team, leading us to predict a convincing victory for the home side.

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