Liam Lindsay starts: The predicted Preston North End XI to face West Brom on Wednesday night | OneFootball

Preston North End were handed their first loss under boss Ryan Lowe at the weekend and they’ll be desperate to get back to winning ways in midweek.

It won’t be an easy task for them though, with West Brom battling for a play-off spot. Whilst Valerien Ismael’s side haven’t been as strong recently as they were at the beginning of the campaign and have fallen off slightly, they still possess plenty of firepower and a talented squad.

The Baggies are also still in the play-off hunt – and if PNE could pull off a win against them this week, then it would be a real statement of intent by the Lilywhites and their new boss.

Ahead of the fixture then, who looks likely to start for Preston?

It could be a team packed with plenty of change for the game against West Brom, with some tactical and some necessary tweaks by Ryan Lowe.

Josh Earl and Brad Potts are both close to fitness again but might not be rushed into the squad for this midweek tie, so instead Greg Cunningham could be pushed out into the LWB role to replace Joe Rafferty with Liam Lindsay coming in centre-back instead. There are concerns that Patrick Bauer might be injured now too but if he isn’t, he’s definitely in the mix still.

Quiz: Have each of these 25 ex-Preston North End players ever played in the Premier League?

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Paul Gallagher

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In the centre of the field, Daniel Johnson has been called up for international duty so he too will miss out. That could likely see Alan Browne pushed into the attacking midfield role, with Ali McCann then stepping into the centre alongside Ben Whiteman. On the right, Tom Barkhuizen hobbled away from the game against Swansea and won’t feature here. This means that Matthew Olosunde, who came off the bench in that game, will likely get the nod here.

In attack, there should be an instant start for Cameron Archer. It’s unlikely given that he’s only been with the club for a day so far – and Ryan Lowe may wait to bring him off the bench – but Ched Evans has proven to be much more effective as a substitute and didn’t do too much against the Swans. That should mean a start for the newboy alongside Emil Riis.