Preston North End have performed solidly in recent weeks but at the weekend they crumbled and suffered a 3-2 defeat to relegation-threatened Reading.

The Lilywhites have looked a completely different beast since Ryan Lowe took over and it has led to some play-off hopes in a side that initially looked like they may have to settle for a midtable spot.

At the weekend though, their hard work was undone in a first half of utter chaos for the home side. They conceded two goals within 20 minutes and it was made even worse when the Royals added a third just after half-time.

 

 

PNE managed to pull two goals back but it was too little too late and led to them falling to a defeat. Lowe will not want a repeat performance in midweek though and as they face an even stronger side in Nottingham Forest, he may need to switch things up to get a good result.

There could be changes scattered throughout the North End team after that loss to Reading. Starting in attack, top goalscorer Emil Riis was brought off early in the second half and after Ched Evans came on and bagged an assist - and made himself a handful for the Royals - he could get the nod from the start here as Lowe looks to cause problems for a strong Nottingham Forest defence.

Behind them, Daniel Johnson is a regular in the side and is trusted to carve open the opposition. Whilst he didn't have his best game at the weekend, the likely addition of Ali McCann in midfield for Alan Browne could mean that he keeps his spot in attacking midfield. To finish off the midfield berths, Ben Whiteman was pulled off against Reading but has been influential on games under Ryan Lowe and should probably start. Those positions are anyones guess against Forest though with Alan Browne or even Ryan Ledson potentially being slotted in somewhere.

On the wings, Scott Sinclair did an okay job at the weekend and could play again. Josh Earl was absent from the squad and might miss out here, while Greg Cunningham remains injured. On the right, Brad Potts was another hauled off in that Reading defeat but is the most reliable right wing-back in the team right now.

With the backline, Patrick Bauer wasn't at his best last time out and could drop to the bench. Many will clamour to see Bambo Diaby given his first game in PNE colours but after so long out, it looks more likely that Liam Lindsay could get a start. He managed to contain Aleksandar Mitrovic previously so could do a similar number for Preston here.

Finally, in goal, Daniel Iversen has proven to be crucial for the Lilywhites during his time here and there is no question that he will hold onto his place.