Preston North End head coach Frankie McAvoy has delivered his team news ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup fixture with Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night.

Preston will be without loanee Josh Murphy as they look to book a place in the last 16 of the competition.

The 26-year-old is cup tied after playing against Sutton United and Brighton in the earlier rounds for parent club Cardiff City.

Meanwhile, club captain Alan Browne could be in contention after returning to training following a hip injury.

“Josh is cup-tied unfortunately from his time at Cardiff, so he will be unavailable tomorrow night," McAvoy said via LancsLive.

“Alan Browne will be back on the training field and we are hoping there will be one or two others, but I have not managed to find out before coming in here.”

Patrick Bauer is however an injury doubt for the match after sustaining a broken nose in an impressive individual performance against West Brom on Saturday.

"The only issue is Pat, he has a broken nose and has received a few stitches so it might come too soon for him tomorrow," McAvoy continued.

"I would hate to put him in, him take a knock to it and then he's out for longer. We might need to just accept that one and then move on."

Elsewhere, Connor Wickham could be in contention for his first start after signing for the club in the summer.

Wickham was a free agent after his contract expired at Crystal Palace in June, but has been limited to substitute appearances for Preston so far.

“(Wickham) might not be at 90-minute level yet, but we just need to make sure we make the right decision in terms of starting him or having him on the bench,” McAvoy explained.

With his squad almost fully fit, the Preston head coach also discussed the disappointment some players will face missing out on his starting eleven tomorrow night, but said his squad needs to realise they will all be needed throughout the long season ahead.

“Everybody who was available on Saturday is available and obviously the guys not in the 25-man squad come into contention as well tomorrow. There will be guys who are desperate to play tomorrow that might not play,” he said.

"I just need to get them to understand that it's not about the ten or eleven that play, it's the whole squad, we will need them throughout the season.

"We are eight games into the league and have four games coming up in a short period of time. Our task is to get that right mix that is positive enough to get us the result we're looking for."

The Verdict

Despite Josh Murphy missing out through being cup tied, and Patrick Bauer potentially missing out through a broken nose, there are still positives to take from Preston’s team news ahead of their fixture with Cheltenham Town.

Club captain Alan Browne returning after hip surgery will be a boost to the squad, whilst it sounds as though Connor Wickham is getting closer to his first start for the club.

Having already defeated League Two Mansfield Town and League One Morecambe in the Carabao Cup this season, Preston have opposition from a lower division yet again in League One Cheltenham, and therefore have a great opportunity of making the last 16 of the competition.