Preview: Peterborough United vs West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Both concluding their pre-season schedules for the summer, Peterborough United and West Bromwich Albion clash at Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Posh are gearing up for another season for third-tier football, whilst the Baggies are looking for an improvement on their dire Championship fortunes of 2025-26.

Match preview

After reaching the playoffs with a fourth-placed finish during the 2023-24 season, Peterborough United have endured back-to-back 18th placements in League One, avoiding relegation by just four points in early May.

In fact, Posh were one of the worst sides in the third tier during the backend of the campaign, enduring a nine-game winless run (D4 L5) stretching from late March until the final contest of the term.

Despite that, Luke Williams remains in the managerial hotseat at the Weston Homes Stadium, where Peterborough have failed to win in their last five matches (D3 L2) of 2025-26, with their most recent competitive victory at the venue arriving against Rotherham United in March.

As is often the case at Posh, a considerable number of their young stars have moved higher up the English pyramid over the course of the summer, including 11-goal attacker Kyrell Lisbie, who secured a switch to Millwall.

Peterborough have lost just one of their five pre-season contests so far, picking up morale-boosting wins over Colchester United (3-2), Peterborough Sports (1-0) and York City (2-1) ahead of Saturday's battle with the Baggies.

A temporary star at the Weston Homes Stadium last term, Jimmy-Jay Morgan has been the standout performer for West Brom during pre-season, with the former Chelsea man involved in all four goals during Albion's 4-1 friendly win at Shrewsbury Town last weekend.

Finishing just four points above the dreaded drop in the Championship last term, there were points at which it felt like the Baggies were set to become a League One football club, especially during the ill-fated reign of Eric Ramsay.

However - after masterminding a 10-match unbeaten spell (W4 D6) which sealed West Brom's safety - former midfielder James Morrison has been given the head coach's role on a permanent basis, with the Black Country side desperate to improve on a 21st-placed finish.

The Baggies have enjoyed a flawless record in pre-season so far, picking up consecutive wins over Sheffield Wednesday (3-0), Bromley (4-1) and Shrewsbury Town (4-1) ahead of a sixth straight year in the Championship.

After a couple of swings and misses in the January transfer window, West Brom have added both youth and experience during the summer trading point so far, with Conor Townsend returning from Ipswich Town.

Peterborough United Club friendly form:

D W W L W

West Bromwich Albion friendly form:

W W W

Team News

Peterborough are likely to be without the services of midfielder Matthew Garbett, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Currently in a trial period with Posh, Wanya Marcal could fill the spot of the departed Lisbie in the hosts' squad this season.

West Brom are extremely short on options in wide attacking areas - a problem worsened by the absence of Mikey Johnston because of a broken leg.

Whilst the returning Townsend is likely to upend Callum Styles at left-back, new signing Nolan Galves is likely to come into the side at right-back once his fitness is up.

Morrison is leaning on youth slightly in the absence of senior options, with Harvey Whitwell finding the net in the win at Shrewsbury last weekend.

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:

Bass; Johnston, Jones, Khela, Leonard; Edwards, Mills, Mendonca, Shofowoke, Okagbue; Dornelly

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

O'Leary; Galves, Campbell, Phillips, Styles, Whitwell, Mowatt, Diakite, Price; Morgan, Heggebo