Manager Shaun Derry will be looking for the Notts County players to start upping the intensity levels in the pre-season encounters with FC Halifax Town, Birmingham City and CA Osasuna.
The squad has been mixed up for the previous friendlies to allow everyone in the squad to stake a claim for the opening day starting 11 and to build up match sharpness.
With the 2014.15 campaign set to start in just over two weeks, Derry will now be giving more game time to the players that he expects to travel to Deepdale on 9 August.
“We’re looking at Halifax, Birmingham and obviously the Osasuna game to be our key games for the season’s start,” he told Magpie Player.
“I’ll be looking closely at, I suppose, a starting 11 that’s going to be opening the games against Preston and Sheffield Wednesday.
“There’ll be more minutes for the guys who I’ll be looking to start.”
One player set to miss out on this weekend’s trip to the Shay Stadium is right-back Kyle Dixon, who was withdrawn from the weekend’s encounter with Derby County through injury.
“It was a blow for Kyle, who was looking to play 90 minutes on Saturday and we’re hoping it’s not too serious,” said Derry.
“It’s still early days in his diagnosis so we’ll probable judge him more by the end of the week.”
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