Preston North End travel to struggling Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday as these two sides compete in one of five all-championship affairs across FA Cup weekend.
Both sides have struggled in cup competitions in recent years and will see this as an opportunity to set those poor records straight.
Match preview
Wycombe sit rock-bottom of the Championship coming into this fixture, with only one win in their last five matches.
The magic of the cup might well be the antidote that Gareth Ainsworth is looking for to inject some confidence and form into his team, given their poor showing so far this season.
That said, Wanderers have gone without a win in their last four FA Cup ties, losing to Luton Town, Tranmere Rovers and Saturday's opponents, Preston, along the way.
These two sides do have priors in the FA Cup, but unfortunately for Ainsworth's men, history does not fall on their side.
Wycombe and Preston met in this competition in 2013-14 and 2017-18, with Preston winning both games at Adams Park.
If Wycombe are to reach the fourth round, it will be only the third time they have done so, after reaching the semi-final in 2001 and being eliminated in the fourth round in 2017.
Preston fans will be very aware of their success in this competition, but unfortunately for them, few would have been alive to witness any of it.
The Lilywhites have twice lifted the cup, once in 1888–89 and then again in 1937–38, but have only got as far as runners-up since then, losing out in the final a total of five times in their history.
They are currently on one of their worst runs in the competition having lost six of their last seven third-round ties. The one win they do have to their name came by way of a 5-1 triumph against none other than Wycombe Wanderers.
Given his side's average performance in the league so far this season, Alex Neil would take a repeat of that scoreline in a heartbeat, in the hope that a cup run can salvage a season that seems to be meandering toward mid-table mediocrity.
Wycombe Wanderers form (all competitions): LLWWWL
Preston North End form (all competitions): LLWWWL
Team News
As much as a cup run will appeal to Wycombe boss Ainsworth, he will be aware that he has tough games coming up against relegation rivals and may look to rest key players.
Darius Charles and Curtis Thompson have returned to Wycombe's starting lineup recently but may be rested this time round having only just returned from long-term injuries.
From Preston's perspective, they could hand their new Irish international midfielder Jayson Molumby his first start after joining from Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday.
New signings aside, Neil will likely make limited changes given the week break his side will have before travelling to Bristol City.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Grimmer, McCarthy, Knight, Jacobson; Bloomfield, Wheeler, Freeman, McCleary; Akinfenwa, Kashket
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Rudd; Fisher, Huntington, Davies, Earl; Browne, Ledson; Barkhuizen, Johnson, Harrop; Maguire
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Preston North End
Regardless of whether Ainsworth chooses to rest players on Saturday, we see Preston having enough to secure passage to the fourth round. Though there will likely be tight opening exchanges, the Lilywhites' quality should prevail in a narrow win.
