Preston North End face a step up in opposition this weekend as they entertain Premier League opposition at Deepdale in the form of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s Southampton.
Alex Neil and his side look to step up their preparations for the new season, with their first run out in PR1 since April and the manager expects to have the majority of his squad available for selection.
Brad Potts could get his first run out of the campaign, whilst skipper Tom Clarke is expected to shake off the illness that ruled him out of Tuesday night’s win at Chorley.
Darnell Fisher is also working hard to be ready to return, whilst this week’s returnee David Nugent is not yet available to make his second debut for the club, but will be back at Deepdale for the game.
Patrick Bauer could make his Deepdale debut, whilst Billy Bodin is set for his first minutes on home turf for 12 months, and Josh Harrop for the first time since October 2018 having picked up serious knee injuries last season.
Peter Bankes is the match official, taking charge of North End for the first time since the home draw with Middlesbrough last November. The referee was recently appointed to the Premier League lists along with Andy Madley.
Ticket prices have been set at £10 for adults, £5 concessions and £1 for U16s, with tickets still on sale now.
Supporters are advised to purchase in advance to avoid queues ahead of kick-off, with plenty of ways to purchase your ticket making it easier than ever to buy in advance.
Print at home e-tickets are available for the first time and are available on MyPNE.Com, the printed version is then just presented and scanned at the turnstiles, the same way the member and season cards already are making it easy to get your ticket for matchdays.
Supporters who have a member card or season card can purchase their ticket and load it straight to their card, avoiding the need to collect a paper ticket or wait for it to arrive in the post.
All stands will be open for the friendly, and tickets can be purchased over the phone on 0344 856 1966, in person from the ticket office or online at www.mypne.com.
The Saints have not visited Deepdale since November 2008, when a last-minute David McGoldrick goal gave them a 3-2 win; but the sides have met 42 times in competitive games, the visitors leading the head-to-head 15 to 14.
There will be a match programme on sale for the game, with summer signing Patrick Bauer interviewed, this will be on sale for £2 from the ticket office and from sellers outside the ground on matchday.
If you can’t get to the game then you will be able to watch it on iFollow PNE. Live coverage with commentary team Jonathan Breeze and Paul McKenna will begin at 2.50pm – click here now for details of how to subscribe.