It’s Tuesday afternoon at the time of writing, so that means Preston’s reserve team are in action today.
We usually see North End playing in the Central League, but today it’s the Lancashire Senior Cup for Preston’s fringe players.
North End reached the second round of the competition by beating Rochdale 2-0 in the first round, landing a tie against Liverpool at our Euxton training base.
With rules stating that teams must play at least six players with professional contracts, this is a great chance to impress.
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The likes of Connor Ripley, Matthew Olosunde, Paul Huntington, Josh Murphy and the returning Seani Maguire all feature for Preston today.
They are joined by youngsters Jacob Slater, Lewis Leigh, Joe Blanchard, Josh Seary, Noah Mawene and Mikey O’Neill.
Aaron Bennett makes the bench as he steps up his return from injury, joining Harry Nevin, James Pradic, Ethan Walker and Jacob Holland-Wilkinson.
There is one very notable name in the Liverpool side as Rhys Williams starts in the heart of their defence.
Williams was born in Preston and is a huge North End fan, so this game – even if it’s only a reserve clash – will mean a lot to him.
Marcelo Pitaluga, Conor Bradley and Mateusz Musialowski are other notable names in the Liverpool side today, with a spot in the third round up for grabs.
Preston lineup: Ripley, Olosunde, Slater, Leigh, Huntington, Blanchard, Seary, Mawene, Maguire, O’Neill, Murphy.
Preston substitutes: Nevin, Pradic, Bennett, Walker, Holland-Wilkinson.
Liverpool lineup: Pitaluga, Bradley, Norris, Williams, Quansah, Clarkson, Bearne, Corness, O’Rourke, Clayton, Musialowski.
Liverpool substitutes: Woltman, Kelly, Dixon-Bonner, Koumetio, Wilson.