Colchester United boss Tony Humes insists his players should be confident that they can beat Preston North End - and pull off the Great Escape.

The U’s are likely to have to defeat the promotion-chasing Lilywhites and hope other results go for them, if they are to stay up.

But they will face a Preston side who are desperate for a win themselves, in order to clinch promotion to the Championship.

Simon Grayson’s side will travel to the Weston Homes Community Stadium on the back of a 18-match league unbeaten run.

But Colchester’s recent form has been encouraging and they have lost only two of their last nine matches.

And ahead of their final-day showdown this weekend, Humes feels his team will go into the clash believing they can get the win they need.

Humes said: “We have to believe we can win it.

“The players have been going into all of the games confident of winning and I don’t think this one is any different.

“The belief grows with decent performances and there’s no reason for them not to be confident, with the awareness that we’re playing a team who are in the top three.

“We’re playing a very good side and we can’t expect to go out there and expect them to roll over, because they also need to get three points.

“But we’ve been relatively consistent in most of the games we’ve played recently and we’re looking like a team that is together.

“I think the players will take a lot of confidence from the run of games that we’ve just had.”

Humes is expecting Preston to provide a different kind of test to the one they faced in the 1-1 draw with Swindon Town, in midweek.

“It’s going to be a different sort of game and Preston aren’t as football orientated as Swindon were,” said Humes.

“They’re a little bit more direct and more physical, so it will be a different sort of game that we have to stand up to.

“But if we’ve got the confidence to play as we did (against Swindon), then we’ve got a chance.”

Bongani Khumalo and Dion Sembie-Ferris both picked up minor knocks in the 1-1 draw with Swindon Town.

But the duo are expected to be fit for the televised Preston game, where a crowd of more than 8,000 is expected at the Community Stadium for the 12.15pm kick-off.

Probable U’s line-up: Walker, Brindley, Khumalo, Eastman, Briggs, Fox, Gilbey, Moncur, Massey, Murphy, Porter.

For updates on the U's game with Preston this afternoon, visit www.gazette-news.co.uk/sport