A stuttering Peterborough United will be hoping to return to winning ways in League One when they face Blackpool at Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Owing to their poor run of form, the hosts have slipped to fifth place in the league standings with 56 points after 31 matches, while the visitors are ninth with 47 points over the same period.
Match preview
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Peterborough have had a dreadful February and are quickly falling behind in the automatic promotion race in League One, while the top three, Portsmouth, Derby County and Bolton Wanderers, continue to pick up points with regularity.
The Posh have lost all three matches this month, and defensive concerns are growing after shipping five goals last weekend against Wycombe Wanderers, following a combined tally of five conceded in their two preceding matches against Exeter City and Wigan Athletic.
Rotherham's decision to recall loanee Peter Kioso, who was impressive in defence since his arrival, has certainly not aided matters, and if this match goes ahead, Darren Ferguson's side will be in for another tricky afternoon with concerns over the pitch surface that saw their midweek clash against Port Vale called off.
Unfortunately for the hosts, they have nine of their remaining 15 matches this season scheduled to be played at home, and the state of their playing surface might diminish the traditional 'home-field advantage'.
Nevertheless, Peterborough will still hold high hopes of making up the gap to the top two as they are the league's most prolific attack this term with 59 goals, and they have already beaten three of the top four on the road earlier in the season.
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Meanwhile, Blackpool delivered a few impressive performances in January, including two outstanding showings against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, and while there was still a gap between themselves and the playoff positions, there were signs that last month's performances could have been a catalyst for a successful run.
However, that was not to be as the Seasiders managed just one point against Stevenage and Oxford United, who are above them in the standings, before suffering a massive blow to their playoff hopes in midweek when they were beaten 2-0 by relegation candidates Cheltenham Town on the road.
Neil Critchley was far from pleased following the trip to Whaddon Road, labelling his side's performance in the match as the poorest they have been all season, and he will now need to prepare his team for a double-header against an opponent that outplayed them in the reverse fixture that ended 4-2 back in October.
The points difference between the visitors and the top six presents a significant challenge for them to overcome, and the continuous failure to improve their away record, which includes just three wins on the road this term, does not bode well for their chances of producing the necessary winning streak to cut the gap.
Critchley will have the top six race in the back of his mind this weekend but is likely to demand that his side put on a better performance than last week to gain the respect of their opponents before their crucial EFL Trophy semi-final showdown in midweek.
Team News
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Posh received a major injury boost before the postponed match against Port Vale, with Ephron Mason-Clark and Kwame Poku both cleared as fit, and they will be in contention for selection this weekend.
In addition, forward Michael Olakigbe will also be eligible to return to the squad on Saturday, having served his one-match suspension in the side's 5-2 loss to Wycombe Wanderers last time out.
Jordan Rhodes, who has been Blackpool's talisman since arriving at the club, netting 15 times this season, is expected to miss out this weekend due to injury, which will likely mean that Kyle Joseph and Karamoko Dembele will lead the line.
Jake Beesley has been out of action since December with an injury to his leg, and while he has resumed training, it is unlikely that he will be risked from the first whistle on Saturday.
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Bilokapic; Katongo, Knight, Edwards, Burrows; Kyprianou, Collins; Olakigbe, Poku, Mason-Clark; Jones
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Pennington, Casey, Husband; Hamilton, Byers, Morgan, Lyons; Dembele, Kouassi, Joseph
We say: Peterborough United 2-1 Blackpool
Despite Peterborough's dip in form of late, they have continued to score goals with relative ease, and we fancy them to outscore the visitors, who have found victories on the road very difficult to come by this season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
