Preston return to Championship action once again tonight as they travel to take on Millwall – and this must be a chance for Ali McCann to start.
North End’s packed schedule means this is the third Tuesday night game in a row having drawn with Sheffield United and beaten West Bromwich Albion.
A trip to The Den is never ideal, but Preston will go to South London with real hope of a result after that win at West Brom.
Millwall have won just three of their last 11 games in the Championship, losing five times in that run.
Gary Rowett does tend to do a number on Preston, so North End will still face a very tough test against the Lions.
Ryan Lowe may look to make some changes for North End tonight, especially after putting so much into a dramatic draw against Bristol City.
Your Club’s CRUEL Transfer Decision This Month
One change Lowe will surely make is brining Ali McCann into his starting lineup.
The Northern Irishman was a major capture for Preston on deadline day in August as he joined for £1.2million from St Johnstone.
McCann was shining under Frankie McAvoy but has found first-team football a little harder to come by under Lowe.
First deployed as a right wing back in Lowe’s first game against Barnsley, McCann hasn’t started a league game for Preston since.
On Saturday, McCann came off the bench at half time to try and change the flow of the game against Bristol City.
McCann certainly helped do that, and his vital role in Preston’s last-gasp equaliser should not be underestimated.
Sprinting back towards his own goal to stop a counter-attack, McCann executed an inch-perfect sliding tackle to win back the ball and get Preston moving forward.
Just a few seconds later, Emil Riis had the ball in the net with a stunning volley.
Riis took the headlines but that goal simply doesn’t happen without McCann’s superb challenge.
This is now a perfect chance to reward McCann with a start in the Preston midfield, bringing real energy and work rate off the ball into a tough game.
We’re sure Ryan Lowe does rate McCann, it’s just that there is such a strong battle for places in midfield that he is having to bide his time.
Tonight, McCann should be given a chance from the start – and show Lowe that he should be in the North End side more regularly.
Preston predicted lineup v Millwall: Iversen; Van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes; Potts, McCann, Whiteman, Browne, Earl; Riis, Evans.