Frankie McAvoy is hoping to welcome a number of players back from injury when Cardiff City come to Deepdale on Saturday afternoon.
A few long-term absentees, such as Ched Evans and Matthew Olosunde, have recently returned to training.
In the last game against Nottingham Forest, North End were also without Irishmen Alan Browne and Sean Maguire through injury, while Patrick Bauer was forced off just 20 minutes in.
“The three of them will be training today,” Frankie told iFollow PNE. “Hopefully they’ll be fit for selection on Saturday.
“Matthew Olosunde played an hour in midweek with the reserves squad so he’ll be hopefully in contention, train today as well.
“Ched is back training, he’ll be involved today as well so we’re starting to get everybody back slowly but surely, and we’ll see how they go the next couple of days. Obviously we have today and Friday to prepare as best as we can with them.”
They’ll be hoping to be ready for the weekend when Cardiff City arrive at Deepdale looking to build on their victory over Huddersfield Town in the game prior to the international break.
In charge of the Bluebirds will be Steve Morison, who was last week handed the job until the end of the season after initially taking over as caretaker, having picked up four points from his three games as interim boss.
Frankie said: “Steve’s done well with them for the last three games. I think they drew, lost to QPR and then they won the last game before the international break when they beat Huddersfield 2-1, so he seems to have stabilised the ship a bit.
“[They play a] back three, whether he plays two up top, a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 similar to ourselves, and he’s done well and he’s got them well prepared.
“We’ve watched some of the stuff and the analyst boys have prepared our stuff in terms of watching them, seeing where we think we can hurt them and where they’re strong, so he’s done well.
“It’s a bit like myself when I got my opportunity and chance at the back end of last season where you get a good response from the players, he seems to have had that as well.
“I believe he’s been given the job until the end of the season so it’ll be a tough game, as they all are. Steve’s done well and I wish him nothing but the best, but obviously not for Saturday.”
This game marks the first in two weeks, due to international football taking centre stage over the last fortnight, and four of North End’s first team players went away to represent their country.
Captain Alan Browne featured for the Republic of Ireland, Ali McCann played twice for Northern Ireland, while Sepp van den Berg earned his first start for Netherlands U21s.
Emil Riis was also rewarded for his club performances with a call-up to the Denmark national side.
Frankie added: “I was absolutely delighted for Emil. I was a bit gutted he never got on to be quite honest. I was hoping he would have got on because that was the game I watched, obviously being Scottish. I was delighted for him.
“[I was also] delighted for Ali, two good games for Ali as well and he did well in the two games he played.”
“For Sepp, it was great for him being away with Holland and deservedly so as well.
“And Alan got a few minutes in the second game [against Luxembourg] as well so delighted that they’re there and thereabouts, that’s what you want.”
Hear more from the boss on iFollow PNE.