On Saturday at Weston Homes Stadium, Peterborough United can best their longest winning run of the current League One campaign when they host Bolton Wanderers.
Both sides have won three consecutive domestic encounters, with the Posh just three points behind a promotional playoff berth in seventh, while the Trotters are two places above them in the table and eight points behind a guaranteed place in the Championship next season.
Match preview
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After a difficult beginning to the calendar year, Peterborough have put themselves back in the running to potentially return to the Championship, scoring twice in each of their previous three league triumphs.
For the second time in their last three domestic outings, their adjustments at the interval made all the difference last week as the club from Cambridgeshire scored twice in the final 20 minutes to blank Forest Green Rovers 2-0, extending their unbeaten run away from home to three straight matches in League One.
While they were beaten 3-0 by Wycombe at Weston Homes Stadium at the beginning of 2023, they have usually been able to take advantage of their home field, earning at least a point in all but three domestic affairs played in their own backyard this season.
For Darren Ferguson, his third stint as manager of Peterborough has started brightly, with the Posh boasting a 100% record so far under the 50-year-old Scotsman, outscoring their last three opponents by a combined margin of 6-1.
Finding the back of the net more than once usually equals three points for this team, who have only suffered one domestic defeat this season when scoring multiple times in a match, while only collecting one victory in 2022-23 when netting a single time.
In their three previous competitive home fixtures versus Bolton, Peterborough are 3-0, shutting them out in 2019-20 and 2016-17 by a 1-0 score.
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Since the middle of October 2022, one of the most even-keeled squads in League One has been the Wanderers, who have not suffered consecutive defeats domestically in over three months.
Under Ian Evatt, the club have been steadily progressing with every season, earning a promotion from League Two when he arrived in 2020-21, finishing ninth last season in League One, while they are currently four places above that mark.
In October, following a 3-1 defeat at home to Oxford United, Evatt called out his players for being too naive in their defending, while lacking aggression and structure along the backline.
The message seems to have been well received as the Whites have been much sharper in their third of the field, posting eight clean sheets domestically since November while conceding multiple goals in only two of their previous 14 league fixtures.
So far in 2022-23, 20 of their 30 domestic affairs have been decided by a goal or fewer, with Bolton managing to collect at least a point in 15 of those encounters, winning their last three by that slim margin.
Last weekend, they extended their winning run at home to seven consecutive league games, beating Cheltenham Town 1-0, while five of their seven domestic defeats this season have come on the road.
Team News
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Peterborough midfielder Jack Taylor twisted his ankle on Saturday and was replaced by Ben Thompson, as Ferguson went with the same starting 11 that he had in their 2-1 win over Portsmouth, while Josh Knight and Nathanael Ogbeta came on as substitutes for a second successive encounter.
Joe Taylor was loaned out to Luton Town in the Championship last week, while Sam Dreyer returned from his loan spell at Bedford Town and is currently featuring for the Under-21 squad.
Jonson Clarke-Harris notched his league-leading 16th of the campaign last Saturday as his spot kick proved to be the winning goal, Hector Kyprianou netted his second of the campaign and Will Norris picked up his second clean sheet of 2023.
Elias Kachunga missed the Bolton match last weekend through suspension, while George Johnston and MJ Williams were sidelined with knocks.
Earlier this week, Bolton announced that B Team striker Conor Carty had joined St. Patrick's Athletic for the start of the domestic campaign in Ireland, while Luke Mbete is seeking his first appearance since coming to the Whites on loan from Manchester City.
Shola Shoretire, along with Victor Adeboyejo, each made their home debuts for the Wanderers last weekend before being replaced in the second half by Kieran Lee and Cameron Jerome, respectively.
Goalkeeper James Trafford extended the club record run of clean sheets to eight matches in all competitions, stopping both Cheltenham efforts fired his way last Saturday, as Kyle Dempsey notched his fourth of the campaign and the only one of that contest.
Their leading scorer Dion Charles, along with Aaron Morley, each found the back of the net in their previous road fixture, which they won 2-1 over Charlton.
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Norris; N. Thompson, Edwards, Kent, Butler; B. Thompson, Kyprianou; Mason-Clark, Poku, Ward; Clarke-Harris
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Jones, Santos, Toal; Sheehan, Morley, Dempsey, John; Shoretire; Charles, Adeboyejo
We say: Peterborough United 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
While Bolton have been among the most consistent sides in League One this season, they seem to be missing the presence of a solid number nine, and they have not been quite as sharp away from home throughout the campaign.
Peterborough, on the other hand, seem to play their best at home and have shown plenty of patience and poise defensively since Ferguson rejoined them, plus they have a dependable striker in Clarke-Harris, who has been in sparkling form all season.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
