Preston North End vs Wycombe Wanderers injury news as 8 out and 1 doubt for FA Cup clash
Preston North End are in FA Cup fourth round action when they host Wycombe Wanderers.
The Chairboys are at Deepdale on Saturday and they are under new management. Mike Dodds will oversee his first game in charge after being appointed as the new manager of the League One outfit who are chasing promotion to the Championship.
Matt Bloomfield was in charge for their wins against York City, Wealdstone and Portsmouth, but he left to go to Luton Town. Dodds has been working as an assistant coach to Regis Le Bris at Sunderland this season after being their interim manager last year after Michael Beale was sacked.
With Championship matches taking place in midweek, Paul Heckingbottom may name a rotated side to keep his side fresh for the game against Norwich City on Tuesday. Wycombe don’t have a game until next Saturday after this one so Dodds may be inclined to name a stronger team to get off to a good start at Adams Park. Here’s the latest injury and team news from both camps.
Preston North End team news
Jordan Storey will play no part after suffering serious injuries. Storey was forced off in the first-half of Friday's defeat to Blackburn Rovers last week. He came off badly from a blocked cross, and he won't be seen again until at least April, but everything will have to go to plan.
"He's going to be out a while after initially thinking it was just going to be a matter of a couple of week," said Heckingbottom.
"Hopefully, we get him back this season. I'm not expecting to see him back before the international break, so anything after that would be a bonus and I'd be happy with it."
Ali McCann picked up his 10th yellow card of the season in the Championship and as a result will miss the next two league games. As the FA Cup is a different competition, the Northern Ireland international will be eligible to play on Saturday.
Club captain Ben Whiteman is another absentee through injury. He picked up an ankle injury in traning whilst he was suspended for two games in January, and will be out for a couple of months at least.
Robbie Brady and Will Keane were both absent last week and aren't expected to play a part on Saturday. Brady twisted a rib muscle having suffered a rib injury around Christmas, whilst Keane has a groin problem. The pair have had a week of recovery but the manager doesn't want to take any risks with them.
“Both have been unfortunate with stop and start seasons really," said Heckingbottom. “I know what they are and how important they can be for us if we can get them fit and keep them fit. So that's the priority with them, getting them back.”
Out: Ben Whiteman, Jordan Storey, Robbie Brady, and Will Keane.
Wycombe Wanderers team news
Will Norris joined on a permanent basis from Portsmouth and as he didn't play in the tie last month, he is free to make his debut. Adam Reach was another player who joined on deadline day, and having been a free agent for eight months, he's another player who could make his debut. Reach knows Deepdale all too well as he had a loan spell there during the 2015/16 season.
Defender Fin Back arrived for an undisclosed fee from Nottingham Forest and did not play against Luton last month, allowing him to play. Other signings such as Anders Hagelskjaer and Magnus Westergaard will also get a taste of the FA Cup.
One player who won’t get to feature though is James Berry who is cup tied after playing for Chesterfield in the earlier rounds. Caleb Taylor is another as he was recalled from his loan in January and scored against Bournemouth in a 5-1 defeat before returning to Buckinghamshire. Xavier Simons played 74 minutes in Hull City’s defeat to Doncaster Rovers so he’s also missing the match.
Kieran Sadlier is out injured having not featured for Wycombe since early October. He underwent a hernia operation towards the end of November and it was suspected he would miss just a few weeks but that’s turned out to be longer than anticipated.
Jasper Pattenden is expected to be 'out for a while' after suffering a serious hamstring injury for the second time this season. Sam Vokes was on the bench against Cambridge United which could suggest an appearance is in sight. Captain Jack Grimmer wasn’t in the squad last week and so he could be seen as doubtful.
Out: James Berry, Jasper Pattenden, Caleb Taylor, and Xavier Simons. Doubt: Jack Grimmer