Lincoln City return to Championship action against Preston North End on Saturday afternoon, looking to respond positively to their midweek Carabao Cup exit at Bournemouth.
The Imps suffered a 4-0 defeat on the south coast on Tuesday night, bringing their League Cup campaign to an end against Premier League opposition. That result followed an encouraging 1-1 draw with Southampton at Sincil Bank, where Mikkel Ladefoged struck an 87th-minute equaliser.
City have collected four points from their last three league fixtures, having beaten Bolton Wanderers before drawing with Blackburn Rovers and Southampton. Their only home points of the Championship season came in those games, with Portsmouth having won 3-1 at Sincil Bank during August.
Saturday’s visitors arrive in Lincoln after a difficult beginning to their campaign, although their only victory so far came in a Lancashire derby against Blackburn. They’re currently bottom of the table, but the xG table suggests their position is the most false of all 24 clubs.
Preston finished 14th in the Championship last season, collecting 60 points from 46 matches under Paul Heckingbottom. They won 15, drew 15 and lost 16, scoring 55 goals and conceding 62.
North End had occupied fourth place after 20 matches, but a difficult second half of the campaign eventually dragged them into the bottom half. They won only five of their final 21 league fixtures, losing ten, although victories against Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United during the run-in helped keep them clear of trouble.
Lewis Dobbin finished as Preston’s leading scorer with ten Championship goals and 11 in all competitions. Their cup campaigns were brief, with Wigan Athletic knocking them out of the FA Cup in the third round and Wrexham ending their League Cup campaign in round two.
Preston were active during the summer transfer window, making seven permanent additions and borrowing a further four players.
Goalkeeper Lee Nicholls arrived from Huddersfield Town, while Alfie Devine completed a £6 million move from Tottenham Hotspur after spending the previous season on loan at Deepdale. Harry Clarke joined from Ipswich Town and French midfielder Léo Leroy arrived from Basel for £2.5 million.
North End also paid £2.5 million for Oxford United winger Stanley Mills, while Isaac Irwin joined from Crewe Alexandra and Johnny Kenny moved from Celtic. Jusef Erabi, Delano Burgzorg, Caleb Wiley and Liam Gibbs completed loan moves from Genk, Middlesbrough, Chelsea and Norwich City respectively.
Several experienced players departed Deepdale. Captain Ben Whiteman joined Wrexham for £3 million, while Milutin Osmajić completed a £2.1 million move to Genoa. Michael Smith moved to Mansfield Town and Jack Walton joined Dundee United.
Robbie Brady, Will Keane and Jamal Lewis were among those released following the expiration of their contracts.
Preston Form
Preston began their competitive campaign by drawing 1-1 with Huddersfield Town in the League Cup before progressing through a penalty shootout.
Their Championship season started with a 2-1 defeat away at Bolton Wanderers, despite Erabi scoring his first Preston goal. Newly relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers then won 3-1 at Deepdale, with Jordan Thompson’s stoppage-time strike providing North End’s only consolation.
A 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic was followed by a 3-1 home loss against Bristol City, leaving Heckingbottom’s side without a point from their opening four league matches. Their League Cup campaign also ended during that period as Everton recorded a convincing 4-0 victory at Deepdale.
Preston finally claimed their first points of the season by beating local rivals Blackburn Rovers 2-1. Callum Lang scored both goals to give North End a much-needed victory.
They could not build upon that result on Tuesday night, despite Lang giving them an early lead against Watford at Vicarage Road. Edo Kayembe equalised in the 69th minute before Mamadou Doumbia completed the turnaround seven minutes later.
Preston have therefore lost five of their opening six Championship fixtures, scoring six goals and conceding 12. They arrive at Sincil Bank sitting at the bottom of the division with three points.
Preston North End v Lincoln City Injury News
Andrija Vukčević is struggling with a back injury for the hosts, meaning Caleb Wiley could return at left wing-back for Preston. Liam Gibbs and Stanley Mills are also pushing for places in central midfield and out wide respectively, although Brad Potts and Ali McCann remain sidelined.
Ryley Towler was the only player to retain his place in Lincoln City’s starting XI for Tuesday night’s League Cup defeat at Bournemouth. Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw could therefore make as many as ten changes, although Mikkel Ladefoged may retain his place after starting on the south coast and scoring against Southampton.
Mason Melia is a doubt after suffering a quad injury in training, while Tendayi Darikwa and Tom Hamer remain unavailable.
Previous Meetings
Lincoln City and Preston North End have met 40 times in competitive football, although Saturday’s match will be their first encounter for more than 27 years.
Preston have won 20 of the previous meetings, with City recording 11 victories and the remaining nine ending in draws. Four of North End’s wins came in the FA Cup, while the league record stands at 16 Preston victories, 11 Lincoln wins and nine draws.
The most recent meeting took place at Deepdale in February 1999. Preston recorded a 5-0 victory in the third tier, with Steve Basham and Kurt Nogan both scoring twice before Jon Macken completed the scoring. Their meeting at Sincil Bank earlier that season produced seven goals. City were beaten 4-3 in August 1998.
Lincoln’s most recent victory over Preston came at the beginning of the 1995/96 campaign. The Imps earned a 2-1 win at Deepdale before the return fixture at Sincil Bank finished goalless.
Lincoln City vs Preston Referee
Steve Martin will referee Saturday afternoon’s fixture at Sincil Bank.
Martin has taken charge of one Championship match this season, overseeing Southampton’s 3-1 victory against Stoke City in August. He awarded one penalty and showed six yellow cards and one red during that contest, with 31 fouls committed.
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