Goalkeeper Declan Rudd has recently returned to training, although it appears unlikely that he'll be risked. As for Swansea, George Byers is their only absentee. The versatile midfielder is set for a few weeks on the sidelines due to a groin problem. What have the managers said? Preston manager Alex Neil: "We are not taking anything for granted. I have watched all their games from pre-season, but we are focused on ourselves, because it is really tough to predict anything and they will be probably thinking the same about us in the sense of who starts, who doesn’t start. "We just need to focus on ourselves. " Swansea City manager Steve Cooper: "It’s going to be a tough game, it would be a tough game anyway even if it was not our first game. "It was a tough game there last year, they are a really good outfit with good players and a really aggressive style of football that can be hard to play against.
"They have more or less the same squad as last season, which was a strong one as you could see based on how they performed in the league. "They have had a chance to continue their good work, so it will be a tough game to get us up and running. But we look forward to it and we will be ready for it. "There are things you have to do in Championship games if you want to get results and have success, and we are going to do our very best to get up there and give a good account of ourselves as the season starts. " What are the latest betting odds? Preston win - 13/10 Draw - 9/4 Swansea City win - 21/10 (Odds courtesy of The Pools, correct at time of publishing) Who is the referee? Roberts Jones will take charge of the game in Lancashire.
The Merseyside official was the man in the middle for Swansea's 1-0 win against Cardiff City last term, as well as for the 0-0 draw with West Brom before lockdown. He will be assisted by Adrian Holmes and James Mainwaring. Richard Wild is the fourth official. Match facts Preston are unbeaten in their last four home league games against Swansea (W2 D2), although both of their last two such meetings have been drawn 1-1.
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