Preston have been boosted by the news that captain Callum Davidson should make his long-awaited return from injury against Middlesbrough.
The Scotland defender has been out since September after tearing his hamstring while on international duty but is back in training and Alan Irvine is confident his skipper will be back on the pitch against Boro.
"Callum's trained so we'll keep an eye on him and hopefully he'll be okay for Saturday," Irvine told the official Preston website.
Davidson's return will see Andy Lonergan give up the armband.
Paul Parry could start after being named as an unused substitute in the victory over Sheffield Wednesday midweek as he continues his comeback from a hamstring injury.
Midfielder Barry Nicholson remains out with a broken leg but Irvine has an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from.
Caretaker Middlesbrough boss Colin Cooper will have experienced midfielder Julio Arca at his disposal.
The former Boro defender, who has been asked to step into the gap left by Gareth Southgate when he was sacked on Tuesday night, welcomes the Argentinian back after he missed the 2-0 win over Derby through suspension.
Seb Hines also sat out the game against the Rams with a knee injury and remains a doubt.
However, skipper Emanuel Pogatetz has been an unused substitute for the last two games following his recovery from knee surgery and will hope for some involvement at Deepdale.
Long-term absentees Chris Riggott and Andrew Taylor (both ankle), Caleb Folan (hamstring) and Matthew Bates (knee) remain on the sidelines.
