After securing a 13th place finish in the Championship last season, Preston North End would have been hoping to make a positive start to the new term under the guidance of manager Frankie McAvoy.

However, the Lilywhites have struggled to pick up victories on a consistent basis in the second-tier.

Currently 18th in the second-tier standings, Preston will know that a failure to deliver the goods in the coming months could result in the club being dragged into a relegation battle.

When you consider that the Lilywhites have drawn five of their last six league games, it wouldn't be at all surprising if their upcoming clash with Derby County turns out to be a tense affair.

Ahead of this showdown, we have decided to take a look at Preston's best starting XI based on what we've seen so far this season.

McAvoy has opted to use the 3-4-1-2 formation on numerous occasions this season and thus we have decided to include the players selected in this particular set-up.

Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen has managed to produce some eye-catching displays for Preston since joining the club on a loan deal from Leicester City and will be determined to help his push on in the Championship later this year.

Patrick Bauer, Andrew Hughes and Jordan Storey have all featured regularly at centre-back for the Lilywhites this season.

Meanwhile, Sepp van den Berg and Josh Earl have been utilised in the wing-back roles by McAvoy.

 

 

 

Earl has been a stand-out performer for Preston as he has managed to average a club-high WhoScored match rating of 7.02 in the Championship.

The full-back has made 1.4 tackles per game whilst his willingness to provide an attacking outlet has resulted in him making 1 key pass per game.

Ryan Ledson and Ben Whiteman have provided some defensive cover for their centre-backs from the heart of midfield whilst Daniel Johnson has started 10 Championship games for the club in a more advanced role.

Emil Riis Jakobsen has already scored eight goals in all competitions during the current campaign whilst fellow forward Sean Maguire has featured in all but one of Preston's league fixtures.