PREVIEW | Derby County vs Preston North End - team news, lineups, predictions

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·18 settembre 2025

PREVIEW | Derby County vs Preston North End - team news, lineups, predictions

Derby County host Preston North End at Pride Park Stadium this Saturday as the Championship heads into its sixth round of fixtures.

The Rams are riding a bit of form after a 1-0 victory at West Brom last weekend, bouncing back from a difficult start to the campaign. Following defeats in their opening two games, Derby have since earned two draws and a win, suggesting some stability is returning.

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Preston, meanwhile, came close to causing an upset against league leaders Middlesbrough, securing a 2-2 draw at Deepdale last weekend. The Lilywhites had previously suffered a 1-0 defeat at Portsmouth and are still searching for consistency.

Both clubs have enjoyed success at home this season, with Derby and Preston each claiming their league victories on their own turf. However, away from home, Preston have managed just a single point from two matches.

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Cory Hancock (Rams Review Podcast): Derby County finally got their league season up and running with a 1-0 victory against West Brom. The result is all that matter, however, despite winning, The Rams only had nine touches in the opposition box and five of those were by Andi Weimann for the winner. The Rams now have five points from five games, which is not a terrible return. However, performances must improve if Derby have aspirations of avoiding another relegation battle. While nothing is won or lost at this stage of the season, the points you pick up now prove to be invaluable later.

Last week saw Ebou Adams replaced as club captain by newcomer Lewis Travis, who was the captain at Blackburn Rovers under John Eustace. This was a harsh move and has left a sour taste in the mouth.

On a positive note, the injuries are starting to heal up and manager John Eustace has plenty of options to pick from. Rhian Brewster has picked up a knock, he is not expected to feature. I would not anticipate too many changes to the side right now but some players who are coming back fit will most likely get minutes. United States international Patrick Agyemang made his debut at the Hawthorns and flicked the ball on to Weimann for the winner. Expect him to feature at home. He is still very raw but needs to produce to have a chance at making the World Cup squad this summer (especially with Josh Sergeant and Hadji Wright in the same division).

Preston have had a solid start to the season with eight points from their first five games. The Lilywhites have been in recent years a very solid Championship mid-table side, however they struggled last season. I expect another season of struggle for them.

Pride Park should provide home comforts for the Rams. I expect them to continue their momentum and pick up three points.

Prediction: 1-0

PNEFC_Stats : Preston travel to Pride Park looking for a first away win of the season, and a first away win on a Saturday since March 2024.

Milutin Osmajic should be available again after injury though Robbie Brady has been ruled out for some time after calf surgery.

Jordan Thompson, Will Keane and Brad Potts are also unavailable through injury.

Harrison Armstrong is pushing to make his first start after making his debut off the bench in last weeks 2-2 draw against leaders Middlesbrough.

Prediction: 1-2