Preston North End still want their first win of the new season and they'll be looking to get it in the Carabao Cup this week.

The side play Huddersfield and will be aiming to try and get through to the next round of the cup, whilst also giving some of their younger players and rotation options the chance to get gametime.

One player Ryan Lowe might not be putting onto the pitch yet though is Bambo Diaby, with the defender still out with an injury. It's meant the player has yet to feature for the club in the league this season and there may have been some hopes he could play in the cup.

However, Ryan Lowe has revealed to the club's official Twitter account that he won't be playing in the fixture against Huddersfield due to the defender still not at full fitness.

He joined PNE on a trial basis last season and then signed on a contract with them until the end of the 2021/22 campaign. He played in a total of seven league games after penning that contract and having impressed, he has now signed on for the new season too.

However, the player has yet to get onto the field this season and Lowe has revealed that whilst he could be back in the team soon, he won't play in the Huddersfield fixture - and it means another centre-back will therefore get the chance to feature at the back for North End.

Speaking via the club's official Twitter account, boss Ryan Lowe said: "He’s back running now, but if it takes another three or four days to make sure he doesn’t end up back in the treatment room then so be it. We won’t take any risks, he could have played at a push tomorrow but we don’t want to take that risk."

The Verdict

Preston boss Ryan Lowe has settled on his chosen backline for the league at the moment and it is working too, with two clean sheets in the club's first two fixtures.

After playing Wigan and Hull, the side have yet to concede this campaign and Diaby hasn't featured as part of his backline, so even when the player returns to fitness he might need to try and force his way back into the North End first-team due to these league showings.

However, as a defender that can come in through rotation and in case of any injuries or suspensions to other centre-backs, the Lilywhites want the player to be back available to feature in the first-team. If one of Liam Lindsay, Jordan Storey or Andrew Hughes is injured, it means they only have Patrick Bauer to come onto the field.

Diaby is a player that can be good both in the squad and in the side too - so the sooner they can get him back to fitness the better for the club this season.