Preston North End vs Sunderland - Preston come up against Simon Grayson

Posted Friday, September 29, 2017 by PA

Alex Neil will have the same Preston squad at his disposal as North End prepare to meet their former manager Simon Grayson and his Sunderland side.

Neither Paul Gallagher (illness) nor Ben Pearson (dead leg) will be ready as Grayson makes his first return to Deepdale since leaving this summer after four years at the helm.

North End's long-term injuries are captain Tom Clarke (Achilles), fellow defender Greg Cunningham (knee) and back-up goalkeeper Declan Rudd (thigh).

Callum Robinson came off the bench and scored in midweek so has given Neil food for thought when he picks his starting XI.

Grayson will be looking for a dramatic improvement against his former club after seeing Sunderland slip to a sixth defeat in eight league games at Ipswich in midweek.

Grayson made five changes for the trip to Portman Road with two of them seeing Aiden McGeady and Callum McManaman return to the starting line-up, but saw his side go down 5-2 and slip further into the mire.

To make matters worse, defender Marc Wilson limped off six minutes into the second half and John O'Shea, who replaced him, and Tyias Browning are standing by in case he does not recover in time.

Duncan Watmore is closing in on a return to first-team action after recovering from knee ligament damage, but fellow striker Lewis Grabban is still battling his way back from a hamstring problem.