Alarms have been set early for the PNE faithful making the long trip to the south coast this afternoon as Paul Heckingbottom’s men face Southampton.
It’s a first visit to St Mary’s for the Lilywhites since the 2023-24 campaign, with Ryan Lowe’s side falling to a 3-0 defeat to the eventual play-off final winners.
North End go into the latest meeting seven points and 13 places above the Saints, who currently sit 20th after an underwhelming return to the Championship.
Will Still’s men fell to a 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers last week, while PNE came from behind to claim a 3-2 triumph over Sheffield Wednesday.
We’ve taken a look at the early team and injury news from both camps ahead of this afternoon’s Championship fixture.
5. Will Keane - Out
Despite featuring 31 times for PNE last season, Keane is yet to appear in any of Heckingbottom’s sides in all competitions so far this term. The forward continues to be sidelined with a calf injury sustained in pre-season. | CameraSport - Dave Howarth
6. Elias Jelert - Out
Jelert, who is currently on loan from Galatasary, remains sidelined with a quad injury sustained at the end of last month, which is expected to rule him out for four to six weeks. | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
7. Jordan Thompson - Out
Supporters are still yet to catch a glimpse of the first signing of the summer transfer window, having missed all of pre-season and the first three months of the campaign due to an ankle injury. | Ian Robinson
8. Ross Stewart - Out
Stewart has missed the Saints previous three matches due to a hamstring issue. The striker is also expected to be out of action for a significant period. | Getty Images