David McGoldrick, Brett Pitman and Dean Gerken all start for the Blues at Preston in what looks set to be a 4-3-3 formation.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles drops to the bench, while Daryl Murphy misses out with a calf injury and Bartosz Bialkowski due to a personal family matter. Michael Crowe is on the bench.
Teddy Bishop and Kevin Bru (hamstring) and Luke Hyam (knee surgery) are also still sidelined.
Preston include play-off final hat-trick hero Jermaine Beckford on the bench, his first involvement this season after he suffered a knock in pre-season.
Preston: Pickford, Clarke, Huntington, Wright, Cunningham, Welsh, Kilkenny, Johnson, Gallagher, Humphrey, Garner. Subs: Kirkland, Vermijl, Woods, Browne, Brownhill, Reid, Beckford.
Town: Gerken, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Fraser, Sears, McGoldrick, Pitman. Subs: Crowe, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Tabb, Coke, Touré, Maitland-Niles. Referee: Mark Brown (East Yorkshire).