Preston North End are back in front of their supporters at Deepdale this weekend as they host Coventry City but there are some injuries to attend to.
The Lilywhites lost 1-0 to Hull City last weekend and to add insult to injury, two players were subbed off in the 30th minute before Jaden Philogene netted the winner for the Tigers. It's one win in nine matches now for Ryan Lowe's men, and form will need to pick up soon if they are to get their promotion push back on track.
Ideally, he'd have a full complement of players to choose from, but that's not the case. A series of players are nursing short, medium and long-term injuries. Some are approaching nearly 10 months out, whilst others have had a series of knocks that have seen them in and out of the treatment room.
The international break isn’t too far away with the match against Coventry acting as the penultimate match before players set off for international duty again. North End have Blackburn Rovers next Friday (November 10) and then there’s the final pause of 2023 which will wrap up the EURO 2024 qualifying group stages. Ryan Lowe has used the international break as a potential return date for several of his players - and it will also offer a period in the schedule for players to nurse any knocks and niggles that they’ve been playing with.
So what's the latest on the injury and team news front, who could be back on Saturday and who is likely facing a longer absence?
1. Will Keane - groin
Forced off after half-hour last week. He had only recovered from a knock in October, and now there will be some further assessments to asses the damage. Expected return date: Unknown.
2. Greg Cunningham
Forced off with a hamstring injury against Hull City. Expected return date: Unknown Photo: Getty Images
3. Will Keane - calf and Greg Cunningham - hamstring
Ryan Lowe: “I don’t know how bad they are at the minute. Keano’s is his groin and Greg’s is his hamstring. “There was no complaints with the lads coming on to the pitch - they all know their jobs.” Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth
4. Andrew Hughes - calf
Hughes has a calf problem but could return at the weekend. Ryan Lowe is likely to provide an update in his pre-match press conference. Expected return date: 4th November: Coventry City (H) Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images