The surprising Alex Neil stat Tony Pulis will want to improve in first outing as Sheffield Wednesday boss
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The Owls, who brought the Welshman in to replace Garry Monk in a manic international break, head into the clash second bottom of the Championship but are only two points from safety and can end the day outside of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Though injury-hit, Wednesday may fancy their chances against a North End side that have been obliging hosts this season so far, losing all five of their matches at Deepdale and scoring only once.
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Hide AdHowever, Pulis, a manager renowned for his stern defensive record, has kept only one clean sheet in seven matches against Alex Neil teams, one of the best goalscoring records a manager has over the new Owls man.
What’s more, Wednesday haven’t won at Deepdale since goals from Danny Batth and Ben Marshall secured a 2-0 win as they romped to promotion from League One in 2011. Incredibly, their most recent Deepdale win before that came in the FA Cup third round in 1992, meaning they have won only twice in their last 14 visits.
Speaking on Pulis’ Wednesday appointment this week, Neil said: “I think it makes our week really clear because we just have to focus on how we are going to play.
“We have no idea what they are going to do now under Tony, there’s no point second guessing it.
“We just have to focus on what we want to do.”