The upcoming campaign looks set to be a congested one in terms of fixtures due to the later than usual start date, but the Carabao Cup is still going ahead, with the first four round one matches taking place this weekend.
Preston North End will host a team from two divisions below them in Mansfield Town, who last took part in a competitive match on March 7, before the League Two season was suspended and eventually decided on a points per game basis.
To prepare for their first visit to Deepdale since January 1998, the Stags have played pre-season friendlies against Peterborough United, Nottingham Forest under-23s and Rotherham United.
Meanwhile, Salford City and Tranmere Rovers have been Preston’s two pre-season opponents so far, with games against Sheffield United and Everton still to come before the Championship season kicks off on September 12.
Their supporters will be hoping for an improvement on last term’s final league position, when they finished in ninth place, four points adrift of the final play-off spot.
Team news
Preston are yet to make any new signings this summer, but have also had no major outgoings, so a familiar squad will be available for Saturday’s match.
Declan Rudd, Darnell Fisher and Louis Moult all missed North End’s 1-1 draw with Tranmere last week with injuries, whilst all three are expected to miss out again on the weekend.
On the other hand, the Stags have brought in a total of 10 new players so far this summer to freshen the squad up after a large number of departures.
The likes of Jordan Bowery, Marek Stech, George Maris, Corey O’Keeffe and James Perch could all make their Mansfield debuts at Deepdale and will be keen to make a good impression ahead of the start of the league season.
Predicted line-ups
Preston: Hudson; Rafferty, Bauer, Davies, Earl; Pearson, Gallagher; Bodin, Johnson, Harrop; Maguire.
Mansfield: Stech; Perch, Rawson, O’Driscoll, Benning; Gordon, Charsley, Clarke, Maris; Reid, Bowery.
Previous meetings
These two sides last met in a competitive fixture in September 2004, which was also in the first round of the League Cup. Mansfield were the hosts on that occasion and suffered a 4-0 defeat to a Lilywhites side managed by Billy Davies.
Interestingly, current Preston boss Alex Neil started the match for the Stags having signed for them in the 2004 summer transfer window. Additionally, one of North End’s scorers on the night was Graham Alexander, who now manages Salford in League Two.
The Lilywhites’ overall record in this fixture will give them some encouragement going into Saturday’s tie. They have won 19 of the 34 games played, and last suffered defeat to Mansfield in May 1993.
Ones to watch
Daniel Johnson
Since signing for North End from Aston Villa in January 2015, Daniel Johnson has racked up more than 200 appearances for the club, and more recently his influence has reached new heights.
Last term, the Jamaican midfielder was a vital cog in the Preston machine as he netted 12 Championship goals and provided seven assists. Not a single player in Alex Neil’s squad could match or better him on either statistic.
If the Lilywhites are to push on this season and perhaps aim to finish inside the play-offs, they will be hoping that Johnson can continue to produce the goods, and this game is a decent opportunity for him to get going again.
Jamie Reid
Over two months on from the date his move to the One Call Stadium was confirmed, striker Jamie Reid could make his debut for Mansfield this weekend.
The 26-year-old left his hometown club Torquay United to become a Stag back in June, with the opportunity to play regular fourth-tier football clearly too good to turn down.
He has been prolific for Torquay over the last two seasons in particular, having scored a total of 50 goals in 74 league outings.
Reid will no doubt be relishing the prospect of testing himself against a Championship level defence should he be chosen to start the game at Deepdale.
Pre-match comments
Preston boss Alex Neil has stated that he is very keen for his side to return to competitive action with a victory.
Discussing the visit of Mansfield, he said:
”It’s not a game with no consequences. If you look at most friendlies, obviously you always want to win, but there’s no consequences at the end of it – you don’t drop points or you don’t get knocked out of the cup – whereas next week has got consequences.
“We want to make sure we’re in the next round of the cup and we want to put a good performance in, we want to play well – we’ve got three really tough games after that as well for Premier League opposition and that should set us up well for the start of the season.”
Meanwhile, Stags boss Graham Coughlan believes that his team are massive underdogs ahead of the match due to the fixture’s late change of date, which disrupted their preparations.
He said: “We’re not ready for Preston. I think that’s obvious. We were preparing for a September 12 start. We then get information that our game [against Preston] is on the fifth. All of a sudden, we’re playing next Saturday.
“It’s not a nice scenario to be in. You’re given a date and a timeline, and to bring that forward is running the risk of injury and it’s not ideal.
“We’ll get up and get on with it. We’re adaptable. We’ll go across and give a good account of ourselves. We’re a fit group, but it’s just that match sharpness that we’re lacking, so advantage Preston.”
How to watch
This game is not being broadcast live on TV but is available to watch on either ‘iFollow PNE’ or ‘iFollow Stags’, with a match pass costing £10.