Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom visits his former side Sheffield United on Saturday (15:00 GMT) as the Blades look to stay in an automatic promotion spot. Heckingbottom earned promotion with the South Yorkshire side in 2023 but departed the club after two years in charge when the Blades hit the bottom of the Premier League the following December.

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Follow live coverage as Sunderland face Preston North End 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.

The Black Cats drew at Preston in a goalless reverse fixture back in November. Sunderland have won just two of their last 10 league games (D3 L5) against Preston North End, though one victory came in this exact fixture last season (2-0).