Peterborough United will be hoping to get themselves out of their current rut as they take on recently-promoted side Port Vale tomorrow afternoon.

Losing four consecutive league matches, the hosts won't exactly be full of confidence coming into this clash but on paper, should be the team that comes out on top with the players they have at their disposal.

They may have Oliver Norburn missing - but they still have the ingredients in their team to push on a show, especially in the final third - and manager Grant McCann will be under real pressure because of this.

 

 

One positive for them is the fact they managed to claim a 3-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur's Under-21s team in midweek - and that could end up being the catalyst for a potential switch in their fortunes.

McCann will know better than anyone else that he will need to pick up points sooner rather than later if he's to avoid the sack, with Posh expecting to be competing at the right end of the table throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

Ahead of tomorrow, we have predicted the lineup the ex-Hull City boss could potentially go for as the hosts look to record their first league win for over a month.

It would be difficult to see anyone else apart from Lucas Bergstrom start between the sticks, appearing as one of the third-tier side's first names on the teamsheet so far this season and that's no surprise with Harvey Cartwright out of action.

Dan Butler keeps his place from midweek following a promising display against Spurs, though you feel his minutes will need to be limited once more to ensure he builds up match fitness but doesn't risk sustaining an injury. And with Joe Ward operating higher up the pitch, that allows Nathan Thompson to come back into the mix.

In central defence, Ronnie Edwards is on international duty so it's down to Frankie Kent and Josh Knight to keep the Valiants out. They will have gained confidence from their midweek showing, but it remains to be seen whether they can take it into a league game.

Their midfield is unchanged with Jack Taylor, Ben Thompson and Jeando Fuchs combining once more - and Hector Kyprianou will be looking to make an impact at some point too from the bench as he looks to force his way into the starting lineup.

There's one change on the wings with game-changer Ward coming in for Ricky-Jade Jones, who actually played well against Spurs and has every right to feel hard done by if he does drop out of the first 11. Kwame Poku keeps his place.

Up front, there's a strong case for operating with two up top with Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Marriott both available, but it would be difficult to see McCann switching up the system following a convincing EFL Trophy victory.