Preview: Peterborough United vs. Stoke City - prediction, team news, lineups

Peterborough United and Stoke City will meet in the Championship on Saturday afternoon knowing that they need to take advantage of the other being out of form.

After seven matches without a win, Stoke are now down in 15th place in the standings, while Peterborough are bottom and seven points adrift of safety.

Match preview

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Throughout Michael O'Neill's reign at the bet365 Stadium, supporters have generally been optimistic about the progression of Stoke, but that is now no longer the case.

Just two wins have been recorded in 14 Championship fixtures, while the Potters currently find themselves on a seven-match winless streak in the second tier.

Now 12 points adrift of the playoffs, O'Neill is aware that he is almost at the point of no return, and failure to defeat the division's bottom club may lead to the powers-that-be ending a project that they had hoped would lead to a return to the Premier League.

Few players have come out of the recent period with any real credit, but January arrival Lewis Baker has netted five goals in 11 appearances, his latest strike earning Stoke a last-gasp point at Barnsley on Tuesday night.

Although that goal has perhaps brought O'Neill some time, all it may have done is delay the inevitable with Stoke on the brink of having to go back to the drawing board.

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Peterborough are not quite at that stage now that they appointed Grant McCann as their new manager, but the replacement for Darren Ferguson knows that only wins will do going forward.

That is why Posh cannot afford to get too carried away with their impressive point away at promotion contenders Bournemouth, a share of the spoils only being enough to reduce the deficit to Reading to seven points.

Five of Peterborough's next seven matches take place at home, a potential difference maker when you take into consideration that they have only lost seven times and conceded only 21 goals in 16 games.

Nevertheless, it also highlights that the time to end a 13-match winless streak is now, with Jack Marriott requiring assistance in the final third if they are to continue to have hope of survival.

Team News

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McCann will give consideration to selecting the same Peterborough XI for this contest after the level of their performance at Bournemouth.

Sammie Szmodics, Ricky-Jade Jones and Joe Taylor, who made his league debut off the substitutes' bench against the Cherries, are all alternatives if McCann wants to introduce fresh legs.

In sharp contrast, O'Neill will almost certainly make widespread changes to his Stoke side, potentially going with a three-player attack.

Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Tyrese Campbell and Steven Fletcher are all options in the final third, with Jordan Thompson possibly dropping out of the midfield.

Morgan Fox is available after suspension and could return at centre-back or left wing-back, while Ben Wilmot may come into contention for a recall.

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:

Cornell; Edwards, Knight, Kent; Ward, Taylor, Norburn, Burrows; Fuchs; Clarke-Harris, Marriott

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Harwood-Bellis, Jagielka, Fox; Duhaney, Allen, Baker, Tymon; Campbell, Fletcher, Philogene-Bidace

We say: Peterborough United 1-2 Stoke City

Stoke have reached a point in their campaign where they may as well throw caution to the wind, and that should reflect in their performance on Saturday. Peterborough, on the other end, may place slightly more focus on avoiding defeat, something which may only inviting pressure in the closing stages.