Preston North End manager Alex Neil says a third game in the space of seven days means he will have to consider his selection against Derby County carefully.
The North End boss spoke to iFollow PNE as he team headed up to prepare for their clash with Frank Lampard’s side and said that he would consider the workload, but would ultimately pick the side he feels has the best chance of getting the right result.
“The bottom line is, I will be picking the team that I believe has the best chance of winning the game, regardless of whether that is changing people up or not,” said the gaffer.
“What I will have to do is look at the guys who have played two back-to-back games as Saturday is going to be a quick turnaround for us, so we will look at the squad and make our decisions from there.
“That quick turnaround, considering how hard we work, is always going to be difficult to get ready for the next one, but we will be fine.”
The trip to Pride Park sees the Lilywhites up against a Rams side who are themselves evolving under new boss Lampard, but having been at their home win over Ipswich Town on Tuesday night, PNE’s boss knows what to expect.
“When the managers change and there are personnel changes, you are coming up against a different prospect,” he continued. “It is going to be a difficult match, I was at their last home game on Tuesday night and they will be looking for back-to-back wins at home.
“We have to go there and try and influence the game and impose ourselves on them. I have seen all the games they have played so far this season, because they have been on the television quite a lot.
“They move the ball and play in between the lines and we have played against these sort of teams before.
“It is not too different from how Derby have played in the past, that expansive 4-3-3 system. Steve McClaren used it for years there and it has been carried on by other coaches.
“Gary [Rowett] changed it to a 4-4-2 with two banks of four, but Frank has made them more expansive again and opened the pitch up and the thing is with football; there is no right or wrong, its what gets you results.
“But it will be a tough prospect as they have some good players and we will go there and do the best we can.”