Returning from the international break at the top of the Championship table, Preston North End will aim to continue their unbeaten start to the league campaign on Saturday, when they welcome Plymouth Argyle to Deepdale.
The Lilywhites boast 13 points from their five league outings thus far, while the visitors travel with seven on the board following their promotion last term.
Match preview
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In their second full season under the management of Ryan Lowe, after a 12th-placed finish last time around, Preston North End have enjoyed a fine start to the 2023-24 Championship campaign, going unbeaten in the opening five rounds of games before the international break.
They began with a 1-1 draw away at Bristol City on the opening day, thanks to Will Keane's 86th-minute equaliser, and after an EFL Cup first-round exit at the hands of fourth-tier Salford City, the Lilywhites have put a four-match winning run together in England's second tier.
The first three-point haul of the season came in a 2-1 home victory over Sunderland, with Keane again on the scoresheet alongside Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, before Lowe's men made it back-to-back triumphs away at Sheffield Wednesday, with Liam Lindsay netting the only goal of the game early in the second half.
After then coming from behind to beat Swansea City 2-1 at Deepdale thanks to second-half goals from Andrew Hughes and Duane Holmes, Preston went into the final game before the break away at Stoke City with the chance to go top of the table depending on other results, and they successfully did so with a 2-0 triumph as Keane netted two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second period.
With their fine form seeing them sit at the summit of the division at this early stage, the Lilywhites will seek to pick up where they left off on their return to action on Saturday and further strengthen their standing with what would be a fifth straight three-point haul to also take their unbeaten start to six outings.
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In their way stand Lowe's former club Plymouth Argyle, who can also certainly be pleased with their start to the new Championship term after climbing from League One last time around.
Following Lowe's exit to the Lilywhites in December 2021, Steven Schumacher took charge at Home Park, and in his first full season at the helm, guided them to the third-tier title last time around, with the Pilgrims finishing on 101 points from their 46 games.
They marked their return to the Championship for the first time since 2010 in style with a 3-1 home victory over Huddersfield Town, before taking a creditable point from a goalless draw away at Watford.
The fast start would then be halted as Schumacher's men were beaten 2-1 in agonising fashion on home turf by newly-relegated Southampton, with Che Adams netting the decisive goal in the 94th minute, before losing by the same scoreline away at Birmingham City with the winning goal again coming in injury time through Jay Stansfield, but after an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace, the Pilgrims were able to make a return to winning ways prior to the break.
Schumacher's men welcomed Blackburn Rovers to Home Park at the beginning of September and went ahead through Finn Azaz in the first half, before Ryan Hardie and Luke Cundle eventually wrapped up a 3-0 triumph in the final 15 minutes, and now returning to action with seven points on the board after five outings, they will aim to continue the positive start by getting one over on their former boss and the current league leaders.
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Team News
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Although Ryan Lowe will be keen to deploy a similar Preston starting XI to the ones that inspired the winning run before the break, he may be unable to call on striker Will Keane, who has already netted four Championship goals this term after a summer switch from Wigan Athletic, as he is to be assessed after being forced off with an injury concern while playing for Republic of Ireland against France last week.
If he is not deemed fit to start, fellow summer arrival Milutin Osmajic may come straight in to lead the line from the outset, having arrived on English shores on Thursday after the completion of a Visa application, with the club-record signing likely flanked by Alan Browne and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen in a front three.
Elsewhere, Ryan Ledson and Ali McCann should continue their partnership in the engine room, while Lowe will likely deploy an unchanged back three of Jordan Storey, Liam Lindsay and Jack Whatmough, with Andrew Hughes having moved to a left wing-back role to accommodate the latter against Stoke, displacing Kian Best as a result.
Plymouth Argyle may be unaltered from their 3-0 beating of Blackburn at the beginning of the month, with summer signings Julio Pleguezuelo and Lewis Gibson bound to again partner up in the middle of the defence in front of fellow new arrival Conor Hazard between the sticks.
Aston Villa loanee Kaine Kesler-Hayden will continue to operate on the left-hand side of that back four, allowing star man Bali Mumba to operate further forward in their attacking 4-3-3 setup.
Finn Azaz and Morgan Whittaker, who both returned to Home Park over the summer after loan spells last time around, will also continue to play important roles going forward, likely either side of Ryan Hardie, who has shone since their promotion with four goals in five Championship appearances so far this term.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Whatmough; Potts, McCann, Ledson, Hughes; Browne, Osmajic, Frokjaer-Jensen
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Hazard; Edwards, Pleguezuelo, Gibson, Kesler-Hayden; Houghton, Randell, Mumba; Whittaker, Hardie, Azaz
We say: Preston North End 2-1 Plymouth Argyle
Preston North End will be full of confidence after their fast start, and although Plymouth will certainly make it difficult, we back the Lilywhites to get over the line on home turf.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
