Preview: Leyton Orient vs Peterborough United - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by five places and seven points in the League One table, Leyton Orient and Peterborough United lock horns at Brisbane Road this Saturday afternoon.

Orient boosted their survival hopes with a 2-1 comeback win away to Stevenage during the week to move one point clear of the relegation zone, while the Posh will be playing their first match in 14 days and will be looking to end a four-game winless run.

Match preview

Richie Wellens and his Leyton Orient side head into their 36th League One outing with one clear objective for the remainder of the campaign: securing their place in the third tier for the 2026-27 season.

With 10 games left to play, the O's have recorded 11 wins, six draws and 18 defeats and remain precariously close to the bottom four.

However, there have been encouraging signs in recent weeks with Orient having picked up two victories from their last four matches, with their latest performance offering real optimism that they can steer clear of trouble before the season concludes.

Falling behind to a Jamie Reid penalty in the early stages of their midweek game, a Dom Ballard brace in the space of 11 minutes saw Wellens' side come from behind to boost their League One survival hopes and move out of the relegation zone.

That victory followed a narrow success over fellow strugglers Northampton Town at the end of February, further demonstrating that Orient possess enough quality to avoid slipping into the fourth tier for the first time since the 2023.

As for Peterborough United, they enter this one fresh from a 14-day break after their last game was postponed due to Port Vale's FA Cup success, meaning the Posh are yet to play a game in March.

But they may believe that the unexpected break has come at the right time for Luke Williams' side, after enduring a run of two consecutive losses and successive draws that mean the Posh have not tasted victory in over a month and have seen their playoff dreams fade away in recent weeks.

Prior to their poor run, Peterborough United had shown immense quality with a 6-1 win over Wigan Athletic and a narrow 2-1 victory against Mansfield Town that may keep the Cambridgeshire-based side in the playoff race.

However, the run of four games without three points means the gap between the Posh and the top six is now nine points, with 11 games to go.

Even if they fall short of the playoffs, Williams deserves credit for the work he has done since arriving at the club, after taking charge of a Peterborough side who were firmly involved in a relegation battle, but they now look set to end the campaign comfortably clear of danger.

These two sides meet for the second time this season, after Declan Frith hit a dramatic 94th-minute winner on Boxing Day to earn a 1-0 win for Peterborough United.

Leyton Orient League One form:

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Peterborough United League One form:

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Team News

Wellens has the luxury of naming the same XI for successive games after his side came away with no further injury concerns during their midweek win.

Ballard's match-winning brace should see him retain his place in attack, while Charlie Wellens and Ollie O'Neill are expected to continue providing support from the wide areas.

Williams could make wholesale changes with the long gap between games and a run of four without a win.

Irish forward Cian Hayes could be one change that occurs with Frith a potential candidate to make way in attack.

The Posh remain without Matthew Garbett, Ben Woods, Jacob Mendy, Sam Hughes, Rio Adebisi, Tom Lees and Harley Mills who are all out with injuries, while top scorer Harry Leonard can expect to lead the line once again.

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:

Dennis; James, Forrester, Simpson; Mitchell, Abdulai, Clare, Morris; Wellens, Ballard, O'Neill

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:

Bass; Dornelly, Kioso, Okagbue, Johnston; Collins, Khela; Hayes, Morgan, Lisbie; Leonard

We say: Leyton Orient 1-2 Peterborough United

Both sides find themselves in different positions to where they would have hoped to be at this stage of the season, but each will still be aiming to finish the campaign strongly.

With that said, we expect the visitors to return to winning ways at the weekend with a narrow and much-needed victory.

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