Frankie McAvoy shares Preston North End team news ahead of Middlesbrough clash | OneFootball

Preston North End head coach Frankie McAvoy has revealed that Ched Evans and Matthew Olosunde are both in contention to feature for the club in their clash with Middlesbrough tomorrow.

However, Declan Rudd will be forced to watch on from the sidelines for this fixture after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

Evans has not featured for Preston since their 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town in August as he has been struggling to recover from an issue with his foot.

After missing 15 league games due to this particular injury, the 32-year-old could be in line to make his third appearance of the season against Middlesbrough.

Yet to feature for Preston in a competitive game since joining the club in the summer transfer window, Olosunde could be handed his debut by McAvoy having overcome a hamstring issue.

Preston will be looking to deliver a response to their 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City when they head to the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday.

Currently 16th in the Championship standings, the Lilywhites will need to improve their consistency at this level if they are to achieve a relative amount of success in the coming months under the guidance of McAvoy.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by Preston’s official Twitter account) about Evans, McAvoy said: “There were no issues that we know of at this stage from the weekend so hopefully everybody is fit and ready to go.

“Ched is nearer as well and we are hopeful that he might have a chance for Tuesday night.”

Making reference to Olosunde, McAvoy said: “He’s got a chance for tomorrow night which is pleasing as we’ve not had the chance to see Matthew yet.”

The Preston boss also offered an update on Rudd’s injury.

McAvoy added: “Dec has had to have a bit of surgery on his knee.

“It was just a bit of a tidy up so he won’t be too long, it’s a follow up from his previous injury.”

The Verdict

Evans’ availability on Tuesday will unquestionably provide Preston with a boost as the forward managed to deliver some assured displays in the Championship in the previous campaign.

During the 21 appearances that he made for the Lilywhites at this level last season, Evans provided seven direct goal contributions.

Olosunde will be determined to prove his worth to McAvoy after missing the entirety of the current term due to injury whilst Rudd will be hoping to make a quick recovery from his knee problem in the coming weeks.

Providing that Preston are able to secure a morale-boosting victory over Middlesbrough tomorrow, they could use the momentum gained from this result to close the gap between them and the play-off places in the second-tier over the Christmas period.