PREVIEW: Preston North End (A)

Derby County will return to Sky Bet Championship action when they travel to Lancashire to face Preston North End on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

The Rams will return to league action when they head to Deepdale after exiting the Emirates FA Cup against Premier League side Leeds United at Pride Park Stadium last Sunday.

John Eustace’s side are perched in 13th place after 26 matches in the 2025/26 Championship campaign, with nine wins and eight draws to their name, and the Rams will be looking to continue to push on with 20 games remaining, starting with their trip to Preston.

Paul Heckingbottom’s North End side are also coming into the contest following elimination from the FA Cup, after a 1-0 loss against League One outfit Wigan Athletic on home turf.

Preston edged the reverse fixture at Pride Park Stadium in September, with Alfie Devine’s long-range strike in the 30th minute the only thing to split the two sides.

Ticket Information

Tickets went off sale ONLINE, IN-PERSON and via TELEPHONE from the DCFC Ticket Office at 12pm on Friday 16th January 2026.

Pay On The Day

Sales will be available on the day from the Away Ticket Office, which is open from 1pm and is located at the Bill Shankly Kop.

There is no price increase, and both cash and card payments are accepted there. Tickets are first-come, first-served.

Pre-Match Thoughts

Derby boss John Eustace sat down with RamsTV to reflect following the recent break from league action and looked ahead to his side’s Lancashire meeting with Preston.

Ahead of the trip to Deepdale, Ben Brereton Díaz spoke with RamsTV and looked back on the season so far, reflected on his recent goal contributions and emphasised the importance of continuing to progress - starting against Preston.

The Opposition

Prior to their loss against Wigan, Paul Heckingbottom’s Preston had claimed four wins and five draws from their previous ten games – form that sees them in the Championship’s fourth spot.

The January transfer window has seen limited movement from Preston thus far, with their summer recruitment proving fruitful in achieving a strong league position so far this term.

But North End have secured the long-term future of left-back Jamal Lewis, who initially joined as a free agent on a short-term deal in October.

The window has also seen movement out the door at Deepdale, with attacker Will Keane heading out on loan to League One side Reading and Stefán Thórdarson leaving for Bundesliga side Hannover 96.

Harrison Armstrong, who played a key role in Derby retaining Championship status while on loan in the second half of last season, had been impressing once more on loan with Preston.

However, his performances caught the eye of Everton manager David Moyes, who recalled the midfielder earlier this month, and he has since made appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees.

Fellow former Rams loanee Lewis Dobbin is with the Lilywhites for the season from parent club Everton. He is proving effective for Preston with 11 goal involvements to his name – registering six goals and five assists in 20 appearances so far this term.

Other notable contributors to the Lilywhites’ season so far include Alfie Devine, Daniel Jebbison and Milutin Osmajić, who have all contributed five goals in the league.

Match Officials

Farai Hallam will hold the whistle in Saturday’s Championship clash. He has overseen 12 second-tier fixtures so far this term, handing out 43 yellow cards and no red cards.

Hallam officiated the Rams for the very first time in December’s 1-1 draw against Portsmouth at Pride Park Stadium, where he handed out just one yellow card in the fixture.

The assistant referees will be Alistair Nelson and Bhupinder Singh Gill, while the fourth official duties will be taken by Dean Whitestone.

RamsTV Audio & Video Coverage

Live audio commentary for all of Derby County’s first team matches in the 2025/26 season - both league and cup fixtures - is available to RamsTV Audio subscribers based both in the UK and internationally.

Information about RamsTV's Video Live Streaming and other services for this season can be found here.

Highlights & Match Replay

Full match reaction will be available on dcfc.co.uk and the Derby County App shortly after full time, with highlights and a full match replay available from midnight.