Preston North End host Premier League Fulham at Deepdale in the EFL Cup third round and the Cottagers’ boss Marc Silva is expecting a tricky tie in Lancashire on Tuesday evening.
North End had a challenging start to the 2024/25 Championship season. After just one match – an opening game defeat to Sheffield United – the club parted company with former manager Ryan Lowe.
However, former Premier League manager of Sheffield United, Paul Heckingbottom, was swiftly appointed in August. Since then, the former Blades boss has led the Lillywhites to two victories, one draw and a loss in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
One of Heckingbottom’s Preston wins was a resounding 5-0 EFL Cup triumph over League Two Harrogate Town, which followed a 2-0 win at home against Sunderland in the first round. Up next for Preston are top-flight Fulham, who defeated Birmingham 2-0 away in the second round.
Leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in Harrogate. 👌#pnefc pic.twitter.com/fU6drorQpo
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) August 27, 2024
Looking ahead to the fixture, Fulham boss Silva expects his side to be in for a tough evening at Deepdale. As reported by the Lancashire Post, the Portuguese coach had plenty of admiration for Preston and his opposite number in Heckingbottom.
“It’s always going to be tough, Carabao Cup, away from home. Paul’s teams are always tough to beat as well, we know him really well and the way he is capable of setting up his team. I think we had a good experience at Birmingham, which was tough for us.
“We got the job done and were solid, but they created a lot of problems for us – the energy, passion and desire of these teams when they play against a Premier League side, we know what it means. It is up to us to keep all the standards really high.”
During his career so far, Silva has faced the Lillywhites twice. In the Cottagers’ 2021/22 Championship promotion campaign, his Fulham side were held to a 1-1 draw in Lancashire early in the season. It is a clash the 47-year-old remembers well and he expects another challenge in the EFL Cup this time around, despite the gap in quality between the sides.
“We want to go there, be serious and play with the same motivation and desire as them. It’s really tough to play there. I remember the (2022) home match was a really good one for us when we won promotion. But, away from home was really tough… it is going to be again.”
Writer’s View
Signing the praises of an upcoming opponent from a lower division is a common tactic from Premier League managers in the cup competitions. However, Silva is under no illusions that his Fulham side will face a tough trip to Preston against a side gradually improving under Heckingbottom.
A result here will give North End the lift they desperately need this season as cup wins over higher-tier opponents can kickstart a strong period of form. In addition, although Fulham eventually got over the line at Birmingham in their previous EFL Cup clash, it wasn’t plain sailing. The Cottagers scored two early goals before coming under intense pressure, as the Blues had 16 shots and hit the crossbar, per Whoscored.
Perhaps Heckingbottom will be using that contest as motivation that his Lillywhites can be positive against visiting Fulham to spring a surprise.
