Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom could make just the one change for Saturday’s trip to Portsmouth.
The Lilywhites make the long trip down to the south coast, to face a struggling Pompey outfit in the final match before the international break. It’s the third game in a week for North End, and Heckingbottom went unchanged for Wednesday’s goalless draw with Sunderland.
Preston put an awful lot into that clash, so players will need to be assessed and rotation certainly considered. But, Heckingbottom has been sticking with the same system in recent outings and backing a core of players to go again.
Time will tell whether he does that one more time, before a two week break, or sees it necessary to freshen things up on the road. Liam Lindsay is a doubt through injury, so Jack Whatmough looks set to come in for the Scot and line up against his old club.
Striking options remain limited for Heckingbottom and nobody will be back in the fold for Saturday. In midfield, Ryan Ledson, Stefan Thordarson and Duane Holmes are all there as options for Heckingbottom. Wide men Jeppe Okkels and Josh Bowler look unlikely to start, based on the boss’ recent comments.
Here’s our predicted PNE XI to start against Pompey!
