Preston North End v Plymouth Argyle injury news as five ruled out and six doubts

Table-topping Preston North End welcome Plymouth Argyle to Deepdale for their EFL Championship clash which kicks off at 3.00 pm in Lancashire.

The Lilywhites defeated their former manager Alex Neil before the international break, and now face the Pilgrims who are managed by Steven Schumacher who could have followed Ryan Lowe to Preston.

The international period is usually a time in which players can be afforded rests, and those injured use it as a time of recovery given there are no matches scheduled. Preston had some players jet off for international duty but not everyone has come through unscathed.

Below is the latest injury and team news of both Preston North End and Plymouth Argyle.

Preston North End team news

Danish forward Emil Riis Jakobsen's return to action has been delayed by a further six weeks. He suffered a knee injury in January and there was a hope that he would return to action shortly but now the middle or end of October is looking like a more realistic date for him to return.

Preston's striking options are limited with Will Keane doubtful after sustaining an injury whilst on international duty with the Republic of Ireland. He came on as a substitute against France, but had to be replaced by Hull City striker Aaron Connolly just nine minutes after.

Ched Evans had surgery for a 'serious medical condition' and fortunately he is maing a recovery. The 34-year-old hasn't featured for Preston, and is not expected to be available this weekend.

In other team related news, Calvin Ramsay has returned to parent club Liverpool to rehabilitate aftersuffering an injury. He had a set back to the injury he suffered during pre-season and was said to be out for six to eight weeks last month, and now the best course of action is for Ramsay to head back to the Reds, and for their medical team to assess him.

Ramsay's former Liverpool teammate Layton Stewart meanwhile, has been pushing himself to be a part of the 20-man squad this weekend. He took it upon himself to do solo work, and Lowe admitted he could at least find himself amongst the nine-man bench this weekend.

Ben Whiteman and Robbie Brady featured in an intra-squad match on Tuesday, and are both in contention to feature. Both came through 'fine' and like Layton Stewart could find themselves amongst the bench this weekend.

Out: Emil Riis Jakobsen, Calvin Ramsay, Ched Evans. Doubtful: Ben Whiteman, Robbie Brady, Will Keane and Layton Stewart.

Plymouth Argyle team news

Plymouth have received a welcomed boost as Michael Cooper has returned to training after recovering from a serious knee injury. He has been out since rupturing his ACL in February, and missed their end of season run in however they still won promotion. The 23-year-old isn't in contention for this weekend but could make a return to the pitch next month.

Left-back Saxon Earley however is set for a long-sell out after requiring ankke surgery. He damaged ankle ligaments in training last month and will be unavailable to Schumacher for a considerable period.

New signing Mustapha Bundu meanwhile is a doubt as he could face a wait to make his debut. The 26-year-old joined from Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee on deadline day but will assess his condition having only arrived in England on Wednesday. Full-back Brendan Galloway is a doubt however as he is yet to feature this season. He suffered a leg injury at the end of last season but made a return to full training back in August, though he will not be rushed, and instead his fitness will be monitored.

Out: Michael Cooper and Saxon Earley. Doubtful: Mustapha Bundu and Brendan Galloway.