Preview: Peterborough United vs. Shrewsbury Town - prediction, team news, lineups

A sudden dip in form has seen the Posh drop to sixth spot in the League One table, with their visitors now just two points behind after back-to-back victories.

Match preview

After a mixed start to their first season back in League One after relegation from the Championship last term, Peterborough United strengthened their position in the fight for promotion with three straight wins in late October, beating Oxford United, Accrington Stanley and Cambridge United to move onto 31 points from 17 outings.

Aiming to extend that run and apply more pressure on the top two, Grant McCann's side then took on Exeter away from home but came away empty-handed following a 3-2 defeat, and they have failed to bounce back in the league since, now on the back of four straight defeats in the third tier.

Following a narrow beating away at Bristol Rovers and a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Saturday's opponents in the FA Cup, the Posh would return to league action and lose 2-1 at home to Barnsley at the beginning of December, before seeking to return to winning ways in a tough test away at Ipswich Town last time out.

Frankie Kent drew McCann's side level in the first half of that encounter after Conor Chaplin's opener, but Chaplin would go on to net his second of the game on the hour mark to deny the Posh a share of the spoils and extend their wait for a result.

Having quickly dropped away from the leading pack in the division and down to sixth spot, now only leading seventh-placed Derby County on goal difference and the Shrews by two points, the Posh will know they must arrest their slump now and will go in search of a much-needed win on home turf at the weekend.

They meet a Shrewsbury Town side who will look to continue their climb up the division and dish out another beating to Peterborough after their recent FA Cup showing.

After picking up just two points from a run of six games in League One across October and November, the Shrews had fallen down the division and sat on 23 points from 19 outings, but their meeting with the Posh in the FA Cup second round did provide renewed confidence as they advanced with a 3-1 victory at New Meadow thanks to goals from Tom Bayliss, Matthew Pennington and Luke Leahy.

Steve Cotterill's side would build on that in the following encounter and end their winless run in England's third tier with a 2-0 triumph at home to Lincoln City at the beginning of December, as Leahy and Bayliss were again on the scoresheet, before facing a tough test at home to Bolton Wanderers last time out in their bid to continue the improved run.

Rob Street put them ahead early on in that game, but the Shrews trailed 2-1 going into the final 15 minutes, only for Christian Saydee to level the scoring and Chey Dunkley to fire them to victory with a 92nd-minute winner.

With those six points in the last two weeks quickly firing them up to 10th spot, Shrewsbury can continue their climb towards the playoff places and leapfrog their opponents if they are able to replicate their cup performance and dish out another defeat to the Posh.

Peterborough United League One form:

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W

L

L

L

L

Peterborough United form (all competitions):

W

L

W

L

L

L

Shrewsbury Town League One form:

D

D

L

L

W

W

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):

D

L

L

W

W

W

Team News

Peterborough United will remain without midfielder Oliver Norburn, who has missed the entirety of the campaign thus far through injury, although there is still plenty of competition for spots in the engine room with Jeando Fuchs, Ben Thompson and Harrison Burrows all fighting to come in from the outset after being on the bench last time out.

The Posh's line will be led by star man Jonson Clarke-Harris, who leads the league's scoring charts with 12 goals in England's third tier so far this season.

He could again be joined by experienced frontman Jack Marriott, who has found the net seven times in all competitions since returning in the summer, while at the other end of the pitch, Ronnie Edwards and Frankie Kent will likely partner up in the middle of a back four.

After last week's impressive victory, Shrewsbury Town could come into Saturday's contest with an unchanged starting XI, with Chey Dunkley again set to play at the heart of a back three alongside Tom Flanagan and Matthew Pennington.

Rob Street and Christian Saydee will continue to lead the line, having both got on the scoresheet in the triumph over Bolton, while midfielders Tom Bayliss and Luke Leahy offer further attacking support, as they currently sit level at the top of the squad's scoring charts with five goals each this season.

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:

Bergstrom; Ward, Kent, Edwards, Butler; Fuchs, Taylor, Thompson; Poku; Marriott, Clarke-Harris

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Marosi; Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan; Moore, Winchester, Leahy, Shipley; Bayliss; Street, Saydee

We say: Peterborough United 1-1 Shrewsbury Town

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