Alex Neil is expecting a different type of challenge at the KCOM Stadium on Tuesday night when his side face Hull City.
North End boss Neil knows that his side will have to adapt their style of play this season depending on the opposition and the players he has at his disposal, and Tuesday's match will be no different.
Speaking ahead of the game, Neil told iFollow PNE: "No game is the same, and that's one thing we need to look at because you need to fluctate from one style to the next and that's not easy to do.
"I think for the punter in the stand they might look and think it's easy but it's not as simple as that really.
"We've got a young squad and they need to figure out ways, which I show them how to do, but they have then got to recognise it on the pitch and that's the hardest part.
"Doing it on a tactics board or on a video is quite simple, doing it as it's happening, under pressure against guys who are quick, strong and agressive it's not easy to do but we are more than capable and we will go and try and do it again."
On the challenge posed by the opposition at the KCOM Stadium, Neil continued: "We will expect a hard game, we've got a lot of players who have been in the Championship and the Premier League.
"They've had an influx of foreign players in certain aspects as well, they have lads on loan from Chelsea. They have a foreign manager who is finding out about the Championship for the first time and I think we are going to a team who needs the points.
"They are at home and they will need to win the game so it's going to be a difficult match but hopefully we can go there are play as well as we have done over the last month or so and try and pick up a good win.
"You would probably argue they play a more continental style of football rather than the traditional English 4-4-2 type system. We played against the same system at Fleetwood and we know how that finished so we are well versed on how to cope with that sort of style, it's really a case of our players playing well."
After just a few months in charge, the manager has been impressed by his squad and is confident they will continue to improve as the season goes on.
"I am their biggest fan when it comes to them playing, I think we've got a really special group but I'm also their harshest critic because I want them to do really well and I want it so badly for them.
"I think they understand that, I'm here basically to facilitate them and get the best out of them and hopefully we can improve and hopefully we can pick up points that the team deserve.
"The one thing you can't ever question for this group is effort, endeavour, heart. All the bits that to be honest, elsewhere you maybe take for granted, we've got that. We've got a great team spirit, we've got quality but we've also got young lads finding their way in the game and they are going to have to make errors to improve and to find ways of breaking teams down and that's certainly something that I will be able to help them with.
"You've got to bear in mind that we've only really worked together for short period of time up until this point and I think we've done well."
Hear more from the gaffer on iFollow PNE now by clicking on the video above.