Preston North End and Cambridge United will continue their preparations for the 2026/27 season on Friday when they meet in a friendly in Spain.
Both teams have started pre-season training ahead of their upcoming appearances in the Championship and League One respectively and will play their third friendlies.
Match Preview
Preston North End return to action in a friendly on Friday as part of a pre-season trip to Spain as they prepare for a 12th consecutive season in the Championship.
Their final season ended in 14th place under Paul Heckingbottom, dropping into the bottom half as they lost three of their last four games to finish with 60 points from 46 matches.
These games saw the Lilywhites record 15 wins to 16 defeats, and they were surprisingly in contention for the play-off places until February.
They then turned their attention to the upcoming season in the hope of a longer run at the top of the division and started with a 4-1 win over local non-league side Bamber Bridge before meeting third division Sheffield Wednesday last week and losing 3-2, trailing by two goals and equalized by Alfie Devine and Callum Lang.
With four friendlies remaining before the start of their EFL Cup and Championship campaigns in August, Preston North End are hoping to mark their trip to Spain with a win on Friday as they step up their preparations.
© Imago / Sports Press Photo
Meanwhile, their opponents enter the fray with the goal of going up against second-tier opponents and achieving three wins from three friendlies.
Cambridge United entered pre-season following a memorable 2025/26 season with automatic promotion back to League One in third place with 82 points from 46 matches.
During this time, Neil Harris’ side suffered just eight defeats and conceded just 33 goals, 11 fewer than any other team in the division, which secured promotion back to the Third Division at the first try.
Preparing for life back in League One, the U’s kicked off pre-season against Cambridge City and won 3-1, with Louis Upper, referee Tommy McDermott and Ben Knight scoring, before facing fifth division side Southend United to win 2-1.
Heading to Spain where they are beefing up their preparations with three games left to play, Cambridge United will be hoping to continue their momentum in Friday’s tough test.
Preston North End Friendly Match Kit:
VL
Cambridge United Friendly Match Kit:
WW
Team news
© Imago / IMAGO / Sports Press Photo
Paul Heckingbottom fielded a completely different Preston team in the two halves against Sheffield Wednesday last time out and should continue to rotate, although he could move closer to a full team to start the game.
Striker Józef Erabi made his first appearance in the friendly since joining on loan from Genk and could once again play in attack alongside Milutin Osmajic.
Callum Lang and Alfie Devine, who joined the Lilywhites on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last season, scored in the second half and could feature from the start on Friday.
Cambridge United are also due to rotate again for Friday’s game as Harris continues to prepare his side for the start of the League One season.
They have also already made moves to strengthen their squad, with the arrivals of Callum Stead, Patrick Bauer and Isaac Heath, while striker Ghassan Ahadme returned on loan after scoring 11 goals in 29 league appearances for the club in his final spell of the 2023-24 season.
Defender Jack Perry is the U’s latest addition, joining on loan from Coventry City, and could be given the chance to play in a back four that topped the League Two defensive charts last time out.
Potential Preston North End starting XI:
Iversen; Offiah, Gibson, Lindsay; Potts, Devine, McCann, Vukcevic; Lang, Osmajic, Wednesday
Potential Cambridge United starting XI:
Eastwood; Perry, Bauer, Watts; Bennett, Mpanzu, Knight, Bradshaw; Lavery, Ahadme, Stead
We say Preston North End 2-1 Cambridge United.
As we approach pre-season, both teams are expected to rotate throughout Friday’s friendly, but Preston should have excellent quality and depth to count on and could emerge as narrow winners in difficult conditions in Spain.