Peterborough United will be bidding to bounce back from their home defeat to Wigan Athletic when they resume their League One campaign with a clash against Exeter City on Tuesday night.
The visitors are fourth in the League One table, three points behind second-placed Derby County, while Exeter sit in 17th position, only five points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
Exeter picked up seven points from their three League One matches against Cambridge United, Bristol Rovers and Barnsley between January 20 and January 27, but their strong run came to an end on Saturday, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers in their second meeting in quick succession.
The result left Gary Caldwell's side in 17th position in the table, picking up 33 points from 30 matches courtesy of a record of nine wins, six draws and 15 defeats.
The Grecians are five points ahead of the relegation zone, but a number of teams below them have games in hand, so they are far from comfortable at this stage of the campaign.
Exeter's home form this season has been disappointing, picking up just 17 points from their 15 matches, and they will be welcoming a Peterborough side with the fifth-best away record in the division.
The Devon outfit actually beat Peterborough 3-2 in the corresponding match last season, but they have lost two of their last three games with Tuesday's opponents at this level of football.
© Reuters
Peterborough finished sixth in League One last season, which saw them qualify for the playoffs, but they incredibly lost to Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals despite winning the first leg 4-0 at home.
The Posh therefore remained in the third tier, but they are back in the promotion mix this season, picking up 56 points from their 29 matches to sit in fourth position in the division.
Darren Ferguson's side are only three points behind second-placed Derby County with a game in hand, while they are five points ahead of seventh-placed Oxford United, who have also played a game more.
Peterborough brought a 12-game unbeaten run into Saturday's clash with Wigan, but they suffered a 3-2 loss at home to Shaun Maloney's side, who were 3-0 ahead before conceding twice in stoppage time.
The Posh have not lost to a team other than Wigan in the league since the start of September, though, and they have eight away League One victories to their name during the 2023-24 campaign.
Team News
© Reuters
Exeter head coach Caldwell will have been pleased with many aspects of his side's performance against Bristol Rovers, but they were lacking in the final third of the field.
Sonny Cox, who has only scored three times this season, should again feature in the final third of the field, though, while Dion Rankine is also likely to retain his spot.
Demetri Mitchell (ACL) remains on the sidelines for Exeter, while Ryan Trevitt, who is their leading goalscorer this season with five, is also out with a long-term ankle problem.
As for Peterborough, head coach Ferguson is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack following the narrow defeat to Wigan on Saturday afternoon.
The club have not reported any injury problems, with the three changes that occurred all tactical, including the introduction of Jonson Clarke-Harris, who has 10 goals this season.
Ephron Mason-Clark, who joined Coventry City on February 1 before being loaned back, is the team's leading goalscorer this term with 15, and he will again be in the XI, while Ricky-Jade Jones is set to continue through the middle for the promotion hopefuls.
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Sinisalo; Sweeney, Diabate, Jules; Niskanen, Cole, Carroll, Harper; Aitchison, Cox, Rankine
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Bilokapic; Katongo, Knight, Edwards, Burrows; Collins, Kyprianou; Olakigbe, Randall, Mason-Clark; Jones
We say: Exeter City 0-2 Peterborough United
This is a tough ask for Exeter against a talented Peterborough outfit. The home side are capable of making it a frustrating evening for Ferguson's team, but we are expecting the visitors to navigate their way to an important three points in Tuesday night's affair.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
