What are the likely line-ups? Who are the key men? Preston North End v Stoke City - All you need to know

Preston host Stoke City in a 5.30pm kick-off at Deepdale on Saturday night.
New Stoke boss Gary RowettNew Stoke boss Gary Rowett
New Stoke boss Gary Rowett

MEMORY MATCH: Richard Cresswell is Preston North End’s last action hero in win over Stoke CityFrom likely line-ups to the referee and more, all you need to know about the big Championship clash can be found below.

Likely line-ups

PNE: Rudd, Fisher, Clarke, Davies, Hughes, Pearson, Ledson, Browne, Barker, Robinson, Nmecha.

New Stoke boss Gary RowettNew Stoke boss Gary Rowett
New Stoke boss Gary Rowett
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Stoke: Butland, Bauer, Shawcross, Williams, Pieters, Fletcher, Allen, Ince, Etebo, McClean, Afobe.

Key men

Tom Clarke: Skipper didn’t have his best afternoon last time out at Swansea and will have his hands full on Saturday with Benik Afobe. Always up for the physical challenge, don’t bet against Clarke stepping up when it matters at Deepdale.

Joe Allen: The Welsh international signing a new contract with the Potters in June was a real coup as many expected him to stay in the Premier League. The former Liverpool man has the tools to be the best player in the Championship this season.

Joe Allen is likely to be a key figure for Stoke this seasonJoe Allen is likely to be a key figure for Stoke this season
Joe Allen is likely to be a key figure for Stoke this season

In the visiting dugout

Gary Rowett: The 44-year-old jumped ship from Derby County to become Stoke City manager in May. The Potters paid a reported £2m to bring Rowett to the Bet 365 Stadium. This is the fourth club he’s managed, with him also in charge of Burton Albion and Birmingham City. His sacking at Birmingham was controversial, with the Blues well placed in the table. But he was dismissed to make way for Gianfranco Zola who was to last only five months in the job. In his playing career, Rowett turned out for eight clubs.

The referee

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Andrew Madley: The West Yorkshire official is in charge of Preston’s clash with Stoke on Saturday and is now a familiar figure to PNE fans. Mr Madley has refereed a number of North End games in the last few years, including the play-off final victory over Swindon in 2015. Last season he was in the middle for four Preston matches – both meetings with Reading, the away defeat at Ipswich and the final game of the campaign when he sent-off Billy Bodin against Burton at Deepdale.

This week in PNE history

44 years ago: PNE kicked-off the 1974/75 season under Bobby Charlton with a 1-0 win over Plymouth Arygle at Deepdale on August 17, 1974. Tony Morley netted the winner, with Charlton making his comeback as a player after hanging up his boots the previous year.

26 years ago: North End beat Stoke City 2-1 at Deepdale in the first round, first leg of the League Cup. John Tinkler and Tony Ellis scored in front of a 5,581 crowd.

21 years ago: On August 16, 1997, Preston won 2-1 against Millwall at Deepdale. Jon Macken and Lee Ashcroft were on target with the goals.

10 years ago: Preston beat Crsytal Palace 2-0 at Deepdale on August 16, 2008. The goals came from Barry Nicholson and Richard Chaplow.