Follow live coverage as Preston North End face Stoke City in the Championship today.
An increasingly competitive second tier in English football remains an intense and exciting competition, with the prize of a place in the Premier League on offer at the end of the season.
Relegation from the top flight last term means Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United are all back in the second tier this term and will be expected to push for play-off spots again at least, but so too will Norwich City, an improving Coventry and beaten play-off finalists Leeds United. At the other end of the table, Wayne Rooney is aiming to revive Plymouth’s fortunes after they narrowly avoided relegation last year, with Portsmouth and Derby the teams promoted from League One along with play-off final winners Oxford.
Follow live updates from today’s game in the live blog below.
Preston North End FC 1 - 1 Stoke City FC
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:56Match ends, Preston North End 1, Stoke City 1.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:56Second Half ends, Preston North End 1, Stoke City 1.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:56Foul by Lewis Baker (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:51Fourth official has announced 6 minutes of added time.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:51Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Liam Lindsay.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:51Substitution, Stoke City. Lynden Gooch replaces Million Manhoef.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:51Substitution, Stoke City. Ben Pearson replaces Wouter Burger because of an injury.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:51Offside, Preston North End. Mads Frökjaer-Jensen is caught offside.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:50Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:46Delay in match because of an injury Wouter Burger (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:45Foul by Eric-Junior Bocat (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:45Wouter Burger (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:43Foul by Lewis Koumas (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:42Attempt missed. Benjamin Whiteman (Preston North End) right footed shot from outside the box.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:42Ryan Ledson (Preston North End) is shown the yellow card.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:42Jordan Thompson (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:42Mads Frökjaer-Jensen (Preston North End) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:41Attempt missed. Ben Wilmot (Stoke City) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Lewis Baker with a cross following a corner.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:38Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Will Keane.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:36Lewis Baker (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:34Goal! Preston North End 1, Stoke City 1. Lewis Baker (Stoke City) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:34Liam Lindsay (Preston North End) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:33Penalty conceded by Liam Lindsay (Preston North End) after a foul in the penalty area.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:33Penalty Stoke City. Ali Al-Hamadi draws a foul in the penalty area.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:34Attempt blocked. Jordan Thompson (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:33Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Benjamin Whiteman.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:31Hand ball by Wouter Burger (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:31Substitution, Stoke City. Lewis Koumas replaces Sam Gallagher.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:50Offside, Stoke City. Ben Wilmot is caught offside.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:31Offside, Stoke City. Wouter Burger is caught offside.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:31Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Mads Frökjaer-Jensen.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:31Attempt blocked. Eric-Junior Bocat (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:31Substitution, Preston North End. Will Keane replaces Sam Greenwood.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:26Eric-Junior Bocat (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:23Attempt saved. Sam Greenwood (Preston North End) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:22Substitution, Stoke City. Ali Al-Hamadi replaces Bae Jun-Ho.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:21Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by David Cornell.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:21Attempt saved. Lewis Baker (Stoke City) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is saved in the centre of the goal.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:21Attempt blocked. Sam Gallagher (Stoke City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:21Attempt saved. Bae Jun-Ho (Stoke City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Million Manhoef with a through ball.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:19Eric-Junior Bocat (Stoke City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:19Jordan Thompson (Stoke City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:19Substitution, Preston North End. Ryan Ledson replaces Stefán Thórdarson.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:19Substitution, Preston North End. Mads Frökjaer-Jensen replaces Emil Riis.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:19Sam Gallagher (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:19Foul by Sam Gallagher (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:17Jordan Storey (Preston North End) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:11Corner, Preston North End. Conceded by Ben Wilmot.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:10Attempt missed. Bae Jun-Ho (Stoke City) header from the left side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Million Manhoef with a cross.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:08Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by David Cornell.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:08Attempt saved. Eric-Junior Bocat (Stoke City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:08Attempt missed. Sam Greenwood (Preston North End) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:06Attempt missed. Wouter Burger (Stoke City) left footed shot from the left side of the box.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:06Foul by Sam Gallagher (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
16:05Second Half begins Preston North End 1, Stoke City 0.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:50First Half ends, Preston North End 1, Stoke City 0.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:50Foul by Lewis Baker (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:50Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Stefán Thórdarson.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:50Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Robert Brady.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:49Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:45Foul by Liam Lindsay (Preston North End).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:43Attempt missed. Emil Riis (Preston North End) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Stefán Thórdarson.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:41Attempt missed. Jordan Thompson (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:41Milutin Osmajic (Preston North End) is shown the yellow card for dangerous play.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:40Foul by Milutin Osmajic (Preston North End).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:40Viktor Johansson (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:40Kaine Kesler-Hayden (Preston North End) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:38Foul by Ben Wilmot (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:35Foul by Million Manhoef (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:32Attempt missed. Lewis Baker (Stoke City) right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:30Attempt blocked. Milutin Osmajic (Preston North End) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sam Greenwood.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:28Offside, Stoke City. Lewis Baker is caught offside.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:27Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:25Delay in match because of an injury David Cornell (Preston North End).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:24Hand ball by Million Manhoef (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:24Attempt missed. Lewis Baker (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Wouter Burger.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:24Attempt missed. Bae Jun-Ho (Stoke City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Million Manhoef.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:22Robert Brady (Preston North End) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:22Foul by Robert Brady (Preston North End).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:14Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Kaine Kesler-Hayden.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:13Jordan Storey (Preston North End) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:12Goal! Preston North End 1, Stoke City 0. Kaine Kesler-Hayden (Preston North End) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sam Greenwood.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:09Foul by Robert Brady (Preston North End).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:09Junior Tchamadeu (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:06Attempt blocked. Million Manhoef (Stoke City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:03Foul by Junior Tchamadeu (Stoke City).
Preston North End vs Stoke City
15:01First Half begins.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
14:30Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Preston North End vs Stoke City
13:00Follow live football coverage with The Independent today.
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