Preston North End welcome Leicester City to Deepdale on Saturday afternoon in a clash that highlights the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs over the past decade. Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm on August 16.
Preston NE vs Leicester TV Channel
The match will be streaming on Sky Sports Football+ channel in the UK, although a match subscription will be required.
Since their famous Premier League title triumph in 2015–16, Leicester have enjoyed domestic and European success, lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield while reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Yet that glittering period has also been marked by instability, with the Foxes relegated twice in the space of ten years.
Preston, by contrast, have been a permanent fixture in the Championship throughout that same spell. Stability has been their hallmark, though last season nearly ended in disaster as Paul Heckingbottom’s side narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 20th and just a point clear of the drop zone.
Until then, North End had never finished higher than seventh or lower than 14th since returning to the second tier in 2015.
Heckingbottom celebrates his first anniversary in charge this week, and his team showed familiar resilience in their season opener away to Queens Park Rangers.
Trailing at half-time, they fought back through a well-taken lob from Milutin Osmajic to earn a 1-1 draw, though last year’s tally of 20 draws in 46 games remains a concern for supporters.
Leicester, meanwhile, made a winning start under new head coach Martí Cifuentes, who oversaw a 2-1 victory against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Foxes recovered from a goal down thanks to set-piece strikes from defenders Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes, a performance that underlined both their aerial threat and their ability to respond under pressure.