Aiming to get their playoff hunt back on track, Peterborough United will welcome relegation-threatened Burton Albion to the Pirelli Stadium for a League One battle on Wednesday night.
Posh are looking to respond following a defeat at home during their most recent third-tier clash, whilst the Brewers will be desperate to put an FA Cup embarrassment behind them.
Match preview
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Peterborough commence their busy festive schedule following success in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, when the League One club welcomed League Two challengers Notts County to the Weston Homes Stadium, with the Magpies returning to the East Midlands with nothing to show for their efforts.
That being said, Posh had to work extremely hard to earn a spot in the third round of the competition, with a Ricky-Jade Jones double helping the hosts to win a four-goal thriller, meaning that supporters at Peterborough's home ground were treated to plenty of goalmouth action last time out.
Focusing on third-tier matters, Darren Ferguson's troops will be looking to respond following a difficult match against Reading on November 23, when a late consolation from Emmanuel Fernandez was not enough for victory after winger Harvey Knibbs had bagged a brace for the Royals.
Despite languishing down in 13th spot in the League One standings - six points behind sixth-placed Barnsley - Posh possess some of the best attacking stars in the division, with 23-year-old winger Kwame Poku scoring 10 goals and providing five assists across 16 third-tier appearances to date.
Finding the net on 21 occasions across their first nine matches in the league at the Weston Homes Stadium, Ferguson's men have scored more than any other side in the division in their respective home matches, including a marvellous six against strugglers Cambridge United last month.
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One win away from a potential tie with a Premier League giant, Burton Albion suffered a second-round implosion in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, with Tamworth of the National League securing their spot in the third round of the competition at the expense of the out-of-form Brewers.
The East Midlands outfit ended their November schedule with a pair of back-to-back home defeats in League One, with Stockport County winning 3-0 at the Pirelli Stadium on November 23 before London-based Charlton Athletic secured a one-goal success at the venue.
Following Shrewsbury Town's resurgence under Gareth Ainsworth, Burton have now dropped to bottom spot in the third-tier standings ahead of Wednesday's daunting trip to Peterborough, with the Brewers sitting eight points behind newly-promoted Crawley Town in the relative safety of 20th.
Speaking of the Red Devils, Danilo Orsi made the high-profile switch from Crawley over the summer transfer window and will be vital to any hopes of Tom Hounsell's side avoiding relegation to League Two, with the 28-year-old providing eight goal contributions from 16 League One appearances to date.
Those of a Burton persuasion will travel to the Weston Homes Stadium in hope more than expectation on Wednesday night, especially when considering that their side are the only outfit in the third tier who are yet to enjoy a victory on the road.
Team News
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After losing their most recent League One match to Reading, Peterborough could make some changes to their XI for the visit of Burton on Wednesday night.
As a result, the likes of James Dornelly and Jack Sparkes could drop out of the backline, with Sam Curtis and Abraham Odoh knocking on Ferguson's door for starting berths.
Providing an assist against the Royals late on, Christopher Conn-Clarke could make only his third League One start of the campaign in this one.
Despite conceding late on versus Charlton, Burton are likely to stick with a centre-back duo of Terence Vancooten and Ryan Sweeney on Wednesday.
The Brewers will be forced into a change in their engine room, though, with Charlie Webster earning a straight red during the defeat to the Addicks.
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Bilokapic; Curtis, Wallin, Fernandez, Sparkes; Collins, De Havilland; Poku, Randall, Mothersille; Jones
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Godwin-Malife, Vancooten, Sweeney, Armer; Gilligan, Bannon, Whitfield, Hazlehurst, Kalinauskas; Orsi
We say: Peterborough United 4-1 Burton Albion
With a habit of smashing relegation-threatened teams at home, a dangerous Peterborough side should have no issues putting Burton to bed on Wednesday night.
The Brewers are still sore from their FA Cup defeat to non-league Tamworth, so it is hard to imagine the visitors earning anything from their daunting trip to Weston Homes.
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Carter White
