Having already made history by reaching the Carabao Cup third round for the first time in the club's history, Cheltenham Town travel to Preston North End on Tuesday aiming to mark another milestone (kick-off: 7.45pm).

Standing in the team's way is a very tough outing against Championship opposition in Preston who will be hoping they can secure safe passage through to the last 16 of the competition with a win over the Robins.

Bristol Rovers and Gillingham have already been beaten in the first two stages of the competition for Cheltenham, and claiming a Championship scalp would be a welcome addition to what has been a very positive start to the new League One season.

Team news

Injuries rule out Callum Wright and Liam Sercombe, while it may be too soon for Charlie Raglan to return.

Kyle Vassell is expected to be involved again after scoring in the first round of the competition, however fellow strikers Kyle Joseph and Christian Norton are unavailable because they are cup-tied.

Dylan Barkers (pictured) has been recalled from his loan spell at Southern Premier Central side Alvechurch.

Media talk

With back-to-back away league matches at Wigan Athletic and Sunderland to come in the week ahead, Michael Duff is preparing his team for what he believes could be their toughest few days of the campaign.

"It's probably the most difficult week we could have," he said.

"Going away on a Tuesday, away on a Saturday, away on a Tuesday against a Championship team and teams that are in the top two in the league.

"This week more than ever we'll have our backs against the walls and the games might pan out slightly different."

See Duff's pre-match press conference by watching for free on iFollow.

Preston North End boss Frankie McAvoy told their website: "3-5-2, 3-4-3 in terms of how they play. They’re solid, big as well and decent. I think they’re sitting ninth in the league below us so it’ll be a tough game, I don’t think there’s any question or doubt about that.

“They had a good victory on Saturday against Oxford United and they’re in good fettle."

Opposition

Unbeaten in six games in all competitions heading into Tuesday's tie, Preston North End find themselves sat 17th in the Championship table.

So far they have defeated Mansfield Town and Morecambe to reach the third round of this year's Carabao Cup.

They have a plethora of options for their squad for Tuesday. From Republic of Ireland international forward Sean Maguire to another Ireland international in Greg Cunningham, and new signing Connor Wickham to long-serving Jamaica international Daniel Johnson.

The manager: Frankie McAvoy

A former postal cadet, Frankie McAvoy was appointed as Preston North End boss in May, his first managerial position in the game.

It came after he succeeded Alex Neil in the role having served as his number two.

Previously he worked as an academy coach at Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton Academical. He moved into English football when Neil was appointed Norwich City boss and then followed him again to Preston.

Tickets & travel

Ticket prices for the fixture are as follows:

Adult £10
Senior (65+) £5
Young Adult (19-24) £5
Under 19 (0-18) £1

The Travel Club coach will be leaving from the Jonny-Rocks Stadium at 2pm.

The price of a seat on the coach is:

Non Members £20/£18
Members £18/£16
Junior Robins £8

Coverage

Social media: Follow @CTFCofficial on Twitter for team news and updates, CTFC on Facebook for score updates and @CTFCofficial on Instagram.

Website: Read the match report post-match and see reaction to the result from inside the camp.

Radio: Tune in to live commentary on BBC Radio Gloucestershire and on iFollow.

Highlights: Watch extended highlights on iFollow, on Sky Sports and on the CTFC YouTube channel.