Aiming to pick themselves off the bottom of the Championship rankings, Preston North End welcome West Bromwich Albion to Deepdale for an all-important clash on Saturday afternoon.

The Lilywhites have continued to struggle in the second tier despite the recent arrival of Graham Alexander to the managerial hotseat, whilst the Baggies are back on track following consecutive wins.

Match preview

Anyone expecting a new-manager bounce at Deepdale would have been bitterly disappointed since the return of club football after the international break, with fans' favourite Alexander losing three straight games at the beginning of his Preston homecoming.

Following a narrow Lancashire loss to Millwall on October 10, the Lilywhites have shipped a staggering eight goals across two insipid away defeats, with Birmingham City (4-0) and Wrexham (4-1) taking advantage of a side lacking even a drop of confidence.

Currently in the midst of a six-game winless run (D1 L5) dating back to the start of September, Preston have sunk to rock bottom in the Championship standings with just a single victory and a mere four points from 11 contests.

The Lilywhites simultaneously possess the poorest attack and weakest defence based on goals scored (9) and conceded (24) in the division so far, with Alexander's side netting on just four occasions across five home league matches in 2026-27.

Two of those strikes arrived during Preston's only Championship triumph of the campaign to date on September 5, when former Wigan Athletic star Callum Lang bagged a brace in a 2-1 success over Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Whilst a dark cloud circles Deepdale, there was jubilation at The Hawthorns last Saturday afternoon, when West Bromwich Albion came from two goals behind to secure a last-gasp win over Tony Mowbray's Blackburn.

Netting the 89th-minute clincher, summer signing Felix Horn Myhre was the hero off the bench for the Baggies, with the Norwegian midfielder producing his maiden moment of magic for Albion following a mixed start to life in English football.

Barney Stewart and Issac Price also breached the goal of Blackburn in the 3-2 victory, with the latter up to four second-tier goals for the season, leading Aune Heggebo (3) and Jimmy-Jay Morgan (3) in West Brom's Golden Boot race.

Most Albion supporters were expecting midtable mediocrity at best during James Morrison's first full season in charge, however, Saturday's visitors are deservedly in fifth spot after 11 matches, five points behind pace-setters Swansea City.

Following comeback successes over Wrexham and Blackburn, the Baggies are on a mission to secure three consecutive Championship victories for the first time since a four-match winning run under Carlos Corberan in August/September 2024.

Preston North End Championship form:

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

Team News

Preston's injury problems have failed to ease up amid a troubling run of form, with Harry Clarke (hamstring) and Liam Gibbs (muscle) recently added to the treatment list.

The pair join long-term Lilywhites absentee Ali McCann, who has not featured since the EFL Cup defeat by Everton in late August.

More positively, American Caleb Wiley featured in a training match on Tuesday, with the 21-year-old nearing a return to first-team action.

West Brom Director of Medical Tony Strudwick has confirmed that midfielder Toby Collyer is likely to be sidelined until December with a hamstring injury picked up during the Blackburn win.

The former Manchester United youngster's absence places more emphasis on Rabby Nzingoula, Ousmane Diakite and Jayson Molumby performing in the middle of the park.

Brayann Pereira has seemingly earned the trust of head coach Morrison in the absence of Noah Galves (knee), with the right-back starting both of Albion's recent victories.

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Offiah, Leroy, Thompson, Vukcevic; Lang, Devine, Kenny

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

O'Leary; Pereira, Mepham, Campbell, Styles; Diakite, Molumby, Nzingoula, Price, Morgan; Heggebo

We say: Preston North End 1-2 West Bromwich Albion

Devoid of confidence and injury-hit, Preston are likely to suffer another sobering defeat on Saturday afternoon.

Buoyed by their dramatic success over Blackburn, West Brom should make it back-to-back wins over Lancashire opposition this weekend.

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