Preview: AFC Wimbledon vs Peterborough United - prediction, team news, lineups

Fourteenth-placed AFC Wimbledon will welcome 13th-placed Peterborough United to the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday night for a matchday 38 League One clash.

The Dons will be looking to return to winning ways after consecutive losses, while the visitors will be looking to build on their emphatic 5-0 win over Rotherham United during the week.

Match preview

Promoted via the League Two playoffs last season, Johnnie Jackson's main objective ahead of this season was survival; with nine games to go, they are in a position to end the season with those plans in place.

Entering their Saturday encounter, AFC Wimbledon have 49 points to their name and sit eight points clear of the drop zone after recording 14 wins, seven draws and 16 defeats.

Despite losing successive games, the Dons entered last weekend on a good run of form and had won three of their last four with impressive victories over Bradford City, Northampton Town and Blackpool during that time.

However, a narrow 1-0 defeat to Stevenage was followed by a disappointing 4-2 home loss against struggling Leyton Orient, halting their momentum.

A return to winning ways this weekend would see the Dons reach 52 points and potentially move 11 clear of the bottom four, taking a significant step towards securing their League One status.

As for Peterborough United, they come into this one level on points and one place ahead of their upcoming opponents and on course to finish the season in a much better position than they found themselves in before Luke Williams's arrival.

When Williams arrived, the Posh were rooted to the bottom of the table, but a run of improved performances has seen them climb 11 places and even flirt with the playoff positions.

In his 28 games in charge, Peterborough United have won 50% of those matches and have moved 11 places in the table, even mounting a potential push to finish the season in the playoff places.

However, their midweek triumph was their first in six matches, with defeats to Bradford City, Barnsley and Leyton Orient during that run denting their momentum and leaving them nine points adrift of the top six.

That made Tuesday’s result all the more important, and Peterborough delivered in style, thrashing now managerless Rotherham United 5-0 thanks to goals from Kyrell Lisbie, Jimmy-Jay Morgan, Archie Collins and a brace from David Kamara.

Notably, the Posh also ran out 5-0 winners when these sides met earlier in the season in November, and they will be aiming to complete a dominant double on Saturday.

AFC Wimbledon League One form:

W D W W L L

Peterborough United League One form:

L L D D L W

Team News

Wimbledon have the luxury of naming the same XI once again after coming away from Tuesday's encounter with no further injury concerns, but Jackson may look to change things up after shipping four goals at home.

Patrick Bauer is potentially one man Jackson may turn to in defence with Isaac Ogundere the most likely player to make way.

Junior Nkeng’s quickfire brace last time out should see him retain his place on the wing, providing attacking support alongside Omar Bugiel and Marcus Browne.

James Tilley, however, will remain on the sidelines after picking up an injury against Northampton Town at the start of the month.

Peterborough United also came away from their midweek clash with no additional injury woes and will want to try to keep everything the same in order to replicate their huge win.

Kamara came off the bench and scored his first two goals during the week, he is expected to start from the off here while the Posh continue to deal with the absence of their top scorer Harry Leonard.

Tom Lees, Ben Woods, Donay O'Brien Brady, Matthew Garbett, Carl Johnston and Rio Adebisi are the other sidelined players who will be unavailable to Williams this Saturday.

AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:

McDonnell; Bauer, Lewis, Johnson; Nkeng, Nelson, Smith, Hippolyte, Seddon; O. Bugiel, Browne

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:

Bass; Dornelly, Kioso, Okagbue, Mills; Collins, Khela; Hayes, Morgan, Lisbie; Kamara

We say: AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Peterborough United

Both teams come into this one very evenly matched and separated only by goal difference, so we expect that to translate over to the pitch and the points to be shared on the day in a 2-2 stalemate.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.