Ryan Lowe will look to “freshen things up” in the Carabao Cup tie against Huddersfield Town.
Preston North End will take on the Terriers in round one of the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening, their first competitive fixture outside of league action.
The manager used four of his substitutes in the Championship opener against Wigan Athletic, while two came off the bench at the weekend against Hull City, so there are plenty of players looking for their first action of the campaign.
Ryan told iFollow PNE: “The cup games are special, aren’t they? Because when you get to the second round and third round, you can find yourselves up against big clubs and Premier League outfits, and could generate some good money for the club.
“Our main focus is obviously the league which we know, but the cup competitions are fantastic.
“What I will say is it’ll give players the opportunity who’ve been around and not played many minutes.
“We need to have a look and freshen things up as well, which we’ll have a look at, but in terms of cup competitions you want to make sure that you do right by you as a manager and you as a football club, and that’s certainly what we’ll be doing.”
Some of those players who could get their chance are youngsters who have been training with the first team squad in recent weeks.
While Mikey O’Neill made three appearances for the first team at the end of last season, there are a few other young professionals who will be keen to taste competitive senior football for the first time.
Elsewhere, Sean Maguire and Ched Evans will both be unavailable through injury and suspension respectively, while Ryan also provided an update on Bambo Diaby.
“Bambo won’t be available,” he said. “He’s fine; he’s progressing on the grass.
“He’ll be back with us at the end of the week so this game’s probably come a little bit soon for him.
“What I will say is we’ve got nine subs – Premier League rules – so it gives the youngsters an opportunity to find themselves in and around the first team and the matchday squad, and see what it looks like.
“Young Jacob Slater’s been fantastic, he’ll definitely get an opportunity to showcase what he’s got.
“He’ll be in the squad, he’ll travel along with the rest of them: Dana [Amaral], Mikey [O’Neill], Lewis Leigh’s been fantastic as well so they’ll all get opportunities.”
In Huddersfield Town, PNE face a side also looking for their first victory of the campaign, with the Terriers having been beaten by Burnley and Birmingham City so far this season.
They had a late managerial change just prior to the start of their campaign, with Danny Schofield coming in as head coach to replace Carlos Corberan.
For Ryan Lowe, he’ll be looking to continue his good run of winning the last three Carabao Cup first round games he’s managed.
“We’re treating it like we want to win, of course,” Ryan added.
“I think the performance levels in the last two games have been fantastic. We obviously need to find a goal at some point which will hopefully kickstart our season.
“I think the back lads have been fantastic, along with everyone on the pitch really, but you know what it’s like when you get one or two goals, the momentum swings your way.
“It’s a good game we’re looking forward to; it’s going to be a tough test.
“Huddersfield lost their manager a week or so before the season. Danny’s gone in there and implemented his style and brand and whatnot, and I’m sure he’ll do great.
“He’s had a couple of tough results of late, but it won’t be for the lack of trying. They’ve definitely still got very good players whatever team they pick so it’s one we’ve got to make sure we’re cautious of.”
Watch Ryan's full interview on iFollow PNE by clicking play on the video above.