Manager Alex Neil has received a boost with Callum Robinson and Louis Moult both returning to training after their respective hamstring injuries.
Robinson picked up his injury in the reverse of this weekend’s fixture against Blackburn Rovers, after scoring in the 4-1 win, and has therefore been out for four months.
Moult, meanwhile, re-injured his muscle in the warm-up for the clash against his former club Stoke City at the end of January.
Ben Pearson will serve the final game of his two-match ban for receiving ten cautions this season, meaning he can return for the Lilywhites’ trip to face Middlesbrough on Wednesday night.
This leaves just Connor Ripley (ankle) and Billy Bodin and Josh Harrop (both ACL) definitely on the sidelines for the clash with Tony Mowbray’s side, in front of 7,500 North End fans.
Skipper Tom Clarke will be given every chance of returning, having missed the clash with Bristol City last weekend. He is improving after the knock that ruled him out of the clash with the Robins and will be given as long as possible to check his availability.
For Mowbray, his most notable issues at the moment are at centre half, with Darragh Lenihan’s knee injury ruling him out for the past month and with Paul Downing and Scott Wharton out on loan at Doncaster and Bury respectively, it means Charlie Mulgrew and Jack continuing as the centre half partnership.
Derrick Williams is available to return, having missed the last two games through suspension, but his replacement, Amari’i Bell scored at Rotherham last weekend and was one of the east Lancashire side’s stand-out performers in the defeat.
Injury concerns elsewhere in the squad have eased, with forwards Dominic Samuel and Ben Gladwin the only long-term absentees, having been injured since the return fixture at Deepdale.
Danny Graham seems set to lead the line once again, but alternative striking options Ben Brereton and Joe Nuttall have both been on the scoresheet regularly as they have kept their match sharpness with games for Rovers’ U23s.