Cardiff City v Preston North End team news: Emil Riis and Greg Cunningham start for the Lilywhites

Emil Riis returned to the Preston North End side against Cardiff City

Preston North End manager Alex Neil made two changes to the starting XI and switched formations for the clash with Cardiff City in South Wales.

Emil Riis and Greg Cunningham returned to the side, with Scott Sinclair and Tom Barkhuizen dropping to the bench.

For Cunningham it meant he was facing the side who he left in January to re-sign for PNE, briefly on loan and then in a permanent deal.

The Irishman had been left on the bench for the midweek defeat to Watford despite having scored in the previous game at Blackburn.

Riis came in to partner Ched Evans up front as Neil opted for a 3-5-2 system - the one used when beating Blackburn a week last Friday.

Cunningham and Alan Browne were set to play as wing-backs, with Andrew Hughes joining Liam Lindsay and Jordan Storey in a three-man defence.

Cardiff: Phillips, Morrison, Flint, Nelson, Ng, Vaulks, Pack, Wilson, Bennett, Murphy, Moore. Subs: Brown, Bagan, Sang. Bacuna, Williams, Harris, Ojo, Watters, Smithies.

PNE: Iversen, Storey. Lindsay, Hughes, Browne, Whiteman, Molumby, Cunningham, Johnson, Riis, Evans. Subs: Rafferty, Huntington, van den Berg, Gallagher, Potts. Gordon, Sinclair, Barkhuizen, Ripley.

Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Carnforth)

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