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Norwich City set for Alex Neil reunion in FA Cup

PUBLISHED: 19:24 02 December 2019 | UPDATED: 08:34 03 December 2019

Norwich City will face Preston North End in the third round of the FA Cup. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd

Paul Chesterton

Norwich City will travel to Deepdale to face Alex Neil's Preston North End in the FA Cup third round.

We will play Preston North End away in the @EmiratesFACup third round!
#ncfc pic.twitter.com/pZC5mjL7wZ
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) December 2, 2019

The draw was made live on BBC Two on Monday evening, with former FA Cup winners Micah Richards and Tony Adams conducting the draw at the Etihad Stadium.

For City, the tie is sandwiched between Premier League games with Crystal Palace and Manchester United with the tie taking place during the first weekend of January.

City have exited the competition at this stage in each of the last six seasons, losing in a home encounter against League One side Portsmouth last season where a last-gasp Andre Green winner knocked the Canaries out of the competition.

Preston currently find themselves sitting 6th in the Championship table after a positive start to the season that has seen them take 31 points from 18 games.

The clubs last met in the competition back in January 2015, where the Lilywhites recorded a 2-0 victory in what proved to be Neil Adams last game as City manager. That led to Neil arriving from Hamilton Academical to replace him.

Midfielder Paul Gallagher scored both of the goals that day and he is still apart of the Preston squad looking to contend for promotion under the Scot this season.

City's last trip to Deepdale was equally as disappointing, with the Canaries being on the receiving end of a 3-1 defeat in February this year. The last victory at Preston arrived in 2017, with James Maddison scoring his first goal for the club under interim boss Alan Irvine prior to Farke's arrival at the club.

Neil has been in charge of Preston since 2017 and has built a side full of talent from the lower leagues, crafting them into a slick footballing side capable of winning Championship fixtures.

Alex Neil Preston stand in the way of FA Cup progress in January Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd

Whether the priority will be to progress into the fourth round for either club remains to be seen, given both have important matters to concentrate on in terms of challenging for promotion and avoiding relegation.

The tie may hand City's fringe players an opportunity to impress as they seek to avoid a seventh successive cup exit.

Draw in full:

Leicester City v Wigan Athletic

QPR v Swansea City

Fulham v Aston Villa

Chelsea v Nottingham Forest

Wolves v Manchester United

Charlton Athletic v West Brom

Rochdale or Boston United v Newcastle United

Cardiff City v Forest Green Rovers or Carlisle United

Oxford United v Exeter City or Hartlepool United

Sheffield United v AFC Fylde