Preston North End and Sunderland meet at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon, with both sides looking to earn their first Championship victory of the new campaign.
The Lilywhites shared the spoils on the opening day of the second tier against Bristol City, whereas Sunderland were conquered on their own patch by newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
Match preview
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Preston have commenced the 2023-24 season with successive draws spanning across the Championship and most recently an EFL Cup clash with League Two outfit Salford City at Deepdale.
Ryan Lowe made a host of changes to the XI which drew at Ashton Gate last weekend, and a brace from Salford's Connor McLennan forced the match to a penalty shootout, which the hosts eventually lost 4-2.
Without a ball in the hat for round two of the EFL Cup, there is purely second-tier football to focus on now for the Lilywhites until January, and supporters will be hoping the likes of Mads Frokjaer-Jensen have found their feet by then.
A raid of recently-relegated Wigan Athletic was also been undertaken by Preston, with striker Will Keane and centre-back Jack Whatmough both joining the Lilywhites for the 2023-24 term.
A 12th-placed finish in the Championship last term was largely down to PNE's disappointing home form, with Lowe's men winning just seven of their 23 matches in front of their fans at their Lancashire home.
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Sunderland started their Championship season by losing to last term's League One runners-up Ipswich at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst securing a maximum for the Tractor Boys.
Only 48 hours later, the Black Cats were back in action at their North East home to suffer another loss, being knocked out of the EFL Cup at the hands of fourth-tier Crewe Alexandra via penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
As in the 2022-23 term in which Tony Mowbray guided Sunderland into the playoffs, there is a focus on youth at the Stadium of Light, with 17-year-old Jobe Bellingham signing from Birmingham City for around £3m.
The England youth international was thrown straight into his side's XI - alongside 19-year-old Luis Semedo - for the clash with Kieran McKenna's men on Sunday, but the new duo could not inspire the Black Cats to any points.
Sunderland secured their top-six placement with a trip to Deepdale on the final day of last season, with Jack Clarke, Alex Pritchard and Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo bagging the goals in a 3-0 victory on May 8.
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Team News
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Preston are struggling in the striker department after Tom Cannon returned to Everton following his loan, coupled with the cruciate ligament injury sustained by Emil Riis Jakobsen, who is expected to be sidelined until September.
Ched Evans is another attacking player who is currently unavailable for the Lilywhites, meaning new signing Keane will lead the line once again for the hosts at Deepdale.
Whatmough made his competitive debut for Lowe's side in their cup defeat to Salford in the week, and the 26-year-old could take the place of Andrew Hughes or Liam Lindsay in Preston's back three on Saturday.
Sunderland already have a suspension to deal with after just one game of the Championship term, with right-back Trai Hume suspended for one match following his dismissal against Ipswich last time out.
Youngster Zak Johnson played on the right side of the Black Cats defence in the cup loss to Crewe, although it is likely that American Lynden Gooch will replace Hume in the second-tier XI.
Mowbray's men have dearly missed the presence of Ross Stewart in their matchday squads since his Achilles tendon injury in January, and the 26-year-old is not expected back until late next month.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, Browne, McCann, Holmes, Best, Frokjaer-Jensen; Keane
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Gooch, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Pritchard, Clarke; Semedo
We say: Preston North End 2-1 Sunderland
Preston will be looking for a response following their EFL Cup exit in the week, and they will be presented with a chance to put things right against Sunderland on Saturday.
The Black Cats were stunned by both Ipswich and Crewe at the Stadium of Light over the last week, and we are expecting a third loss in succession for Mowbray's men.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Carter White
