Playing their first match under new head coach Mike Dodds, Wycombe Wanderers seek to take down Preston North End in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round encounter at Deepdale.
The Chairboys were 2-0 victors over Portsmouth last time out in the competition, while Paul Heckingbottom's men navigated their way past Charlton Athletic 2-1 in round three.
Match preview
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Starved of success in the FA Cup since winning the trophy for the second and most recent time in 1938, Preston have at least gone one better than their third-round exit to Chelsea in 2024, sending Charlton Athletic packing courtesy of a Milutin Osmajic brace in the third round.
Now aiming to end a 10-year exile from the fifth round of the FA Cup - having not progressed to that stage since being conquered by Manchester United in the 2014-15 edition - Preston have been going steady under the wing of Heckingbottom over the past few weeks.
The slender success over Charlton marked the second of five consecutive games without defeat for the Deepdale outfit, but they were condemned to their first loss since New Year's Day on January 31, going down 2-1 to playoff hopefuls Blackburn Rovers despite pulling a goal back right at the death through Brad Potts.
Residing in an unspectacular 15th place in the Championship table - albeit still mathematically closer to the playoffs than the relegation zone - PNE now have a magnificent streak of home form to maintain when Wycombe pay a visit to their Deepdale home.
Indeed, Heckingbottom's men have avoided defeat in each of their last nine home matches across all competitions - winning four of their last five - but the fact that Preston have also conceded in seven of their last eight on familiar soil should not be lost on Wycombe.
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Saturday's visitors to Deepdale have already flexed their FA Cup muscles against higher-tier opposition in this season's FA Cup, where a nervy first-round beating of York City and straightforward second-round win over Wealdstone earned them a date with Portsmouth on January 10.
The 2007-08 winners were no match for the Chairboys on that occasion, as Brandon Hanlan and Sonny Bradley struck in the first half to send Wycombe into round four for just the fourth time, but not since a stunning run to the 2000-01 semi-finals have they progressed further.
Since Matt Bloomfield masterminded that success over Portsmouth, Wycombe have had to adjust to life without the now-Luton Town boss, but caretaker head coach Sam Grace has held the fort for new head coach Dodds, going unbeaten in his four games at the helm.
A 1-1 draw away to League One basement boys Cambridge United was admittedly a disappointing result for the second-placed Chairboys, but Bradley's second-half red card did not help matters, and Dodds now takes over a team with just one loss on their record from their last 16 away games.
Furthermore, Wycombe and Preston's last FA Cup head-to-head in January 2021 ended in an emphatic 4-1 victory for the Chairboys - their first win over PNE since 1994 - and the League One promotion chasers also took four points from their two Championship meetings in the same season.
Team News
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Preston new boy Ryan Porteous - signed on loan from Watford on deadline day - will have to wait a little longer to make his PNE debut, as the Scotland international is cup-tied for Saturday's contest.
Heckingbottom may be ruing the absence of his latest acquisition after fellow defender Jordan Storey came off with an ankle problem after half an hour against Blackburn, although the severity of his issue remains unclear.
Josh Seary (knee), Robbie Brady (rib), Ben Whiteman (ankle) and Will Keane (groin) are also in the medical bay, but the latter is expected to be fine for the weekend, where Osmajic should also return to lead the line after illness restricted him to a watching brief at Ewood Park.
Meanwhile, Wycombe head coach Dodds has already received a significant selection boost ahead of his Chairboys baptism, as Bradley's red card versus Cambridge - and subsequent three-game ban - has been overturned on appeal.
The former Derby County defender is therefore fine to feature in Saturday's Deepdale showdown, but goalkeeper Shamal George is still sidelined with the groin injury he suffered in the third-round win over Portsmouth.
New signing Will Norris is therefore set to battle Franco Ravizzoli for a spot in between the sticks, but Xavier Simons, Caleb Taylor and James Berry are all cup-tied.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Hughes, Lindsay, Whatmough; Potts, Thordarson, McCann, Meghoma; Greenwood; Osmajic, Riis
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Norris; Skura, Taylor, Bradley, Leahy; Scowen, Bakinson; Onyedinma, Humphreys, Lubala; Udoh
We say: Preston North End 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers
There is every chance that this fixture could be fought in the Championship next season should Wycombe continue in the same vein under Dodds, but facing Preston at Deepdale is a daunting prospect.
A closely-contested battle should still be expected, and only one goal may separate the two fifth-round hopefuls, but it should be Heckingbottom's men who score it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
