Preview: Preston North End vs Cambridge United – prediction, team news, lineups

Preston North End and Cambridge United will proceed their preparations for the 2026-27 season on Friday, after they meet for a pleasant in Spain.

The two sides each headed out for pre-season camps forward of their upcoming phrases within the Championship and League One respectively and can play their third friendlies.

Match preview

Preston North End will return to motion in a pleasant on Friday as a part of their pre-season journey to Spain as they gear up for a twelfth consecutive season within the Championship.

Their newest time period resulted in a 14th-positioned end below Paul Heckingbottom, dropping into the underside half as they misplaced three of their final 4 video games to finish on 60 factors from 46 matches.

In these video games, the Lilywhites managed 15 wins alongside 16 defeats, having discovered themselves surprisingly preventing across the playoff spots till February.

They then turned their focus to the upcoming time period with the hopes of a extra sustained combat on the high finish of the division and started with a 4-1 victory over native non-league aspect Bamber Bridge, earlier than taking up third-tier Sheffield Wednesday final week and dropping 3-2, having fallen two objectives behind and drawn degree via Alfie Devine and Callum Lang.

With 4 friendlies left to play earlier than beginning their EFL Cup and Championship campaigns in August, Preston North End will hope to mark their Spain journey with a victory on Friday as they ramp up their preparations.

© Imago / Sports Press Photo

Their opponents, in the meantime, head into the competition aiming to make an announcement towards second-tier opposition and make it three wins from three friendlies.

Cambridge United got here into pre-season on the again of a memorable 2025-26 time period, having earned automated promotion again to League One in third place, ending on 82 factors from their 46 outings.

In that point, Neil Harris‘s aspect suffered simply eight defeats, whereas solely conceding 33 objectives, 11 fewer than some other team within the division to seal their return to the third tier on the first time of asking.

Gearing up for all times again in League One, the U’s started pre-season towards Cambridge City and picked up a 3-1 victory, with Louis Appere, trialist Tommy McDermott and Ben Knight on the scoresheet earlier than assembly fifth-tier Southend United and successful 2-1.

Having now headed to Spain as they improve their preparations with three video games left to play, Cambridge United will hope to maintain constructing momentum in Friday’s powerful check.

Preston North End friendlies type:

W L

Cambridge United friendlies type:

W W

Team News

© Imago / IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

Paul Heckingbottom fielded solely totally different Preston XIs for his or her two halves towards Sheffield Wednesday final trip and may proceed to rotate, though he might shift nearer to a full-energy team to kick off.

Attacker Jusef Erabi made his first look in that pleasant, following a mortgage transfer from Genk, and he might once more play up entrance alongside Milutin Osmajic.

Callum Lang and Alfie Devine, who made final season’s mortgage transfer from Tottenham Hotspur everlasting within the Lilywhites’ most important summer time enterprise, bought on the scoresheet within the second half and should play from the outset on Friday.

Cambridge United also needs to rotate once more for Friday’s sport as Harris continues to arrange his team for the beginning of the League One season.

They have already taken steps to strengthen the squad too, with Callum Stead, Patrick Bauer and Isaac Heath arriving, whereas striker Gassan Ahadme has returned on mortgage after hitting 11 objectives in 29 league video games for the membership in his final spell in 2023-24.

Defender Jack Perry is the U’s’ newest addition and has joined up with the squad following his mortgage swap from Coventry City, and he could also be given an opportunity to characteristic within the again 4 that topped League Two’s defensive charts final time round.

Preston North End attainable beginning lineup:

Iversen; Offiah, Gibson, Lindsay; Potts, Devine, McCann, Vukcevic; Lang, Osmajic, Erabi

Cambridge United attainable beginning lineup:

Eastwood; Perry, Bauer, Watts; Bennett, Mpanzu, Knight, Bradshaw; Lavery, Ahadme, Stead

We say: Preston North End 2-1 Cambridge United

As pre-season ramps up, each groups are anticipated to rotate all through Friday’s pleasant, however Preston ought to have the superior high quality and depth to name on and should come out as slim winners in powerful circumstances in Spain.

For knowledge evaluation of the almost certainly outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click here.