Premier League Burnley host Peterborough United of League One in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup.
The Clarets are coming off of the back of three straight defeats, most recently falling at home to Aston Villa, 1-2, on New Years’ Day.
And The Posh also struggled severely over the festive period, also coming into the game after three defeats and no League win since the 1-0 triumph over Bolton in the middle of December, losing to Lincoln City 2-1 on New Years’ Day, despite taking a first half lead.
Burnley enter the competition at this stage but Peterborough have already faced two rounds of football to get to this stage of the competition.
Marcus Maddison rescued The Posh with a 25 yard strike at Stevenage to level the game at 1-1 to set up a replay at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, which Boro’ won 2-0.
Following that, Dover Athletic travelled to Cambridgeshire in the second round, but an Ivan Toney wonder strike followed by goals from defender Frankie Kent and top scorer Mo Eisa rounded off a 3-0 win.
Peterborough have not won on the road since mid-October, a 2-1 win at Gillingham, and Burnley have only recorded two victories at Turf Moor in that time.
Both teams will be looking to improve their fortunes and get their season's slightly back on track with the welcome distraction of a cup game.
Team News
Johann Berg Gudmundsson is coming back into the fold after a spell on the sidelines and could look to make his first start on his return, but Ashley Barnes is a doubt after the Austrian striker was taken off at half time against Villa.
Barnes suffered from a slight groin strain so will likely be rested ahead of the league game against Chelsea the week after.
Jay Rodriguez looks set to start in his place and Joe Hart could be between the sticks as Sean Dyche could be looking at rotating his squad to rest some of his stars.
Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson doesn’t have this luxury as his injury list is quite extensive.
Josh Knight and Nathan Thompson are both ruled out until February with Fergie also confirming after Wednesday’s defeat the Fraser Blake-Tracey won’t quite be ready.
Serhat Tasdemir could look to make his return and teenage striker Ricky Jade-Jones will also be in contention having missed the defeat at Sincil Bank.
Siriki Dembele is suspended following a straight red card for a moment of pure stupidity at Lincoln, but Kent will be back in the squad following his own suspension to partner captain Mark Beevers at the back.
Former Claret George Boyd will be in the squad having returned from his own injury issues in recent weeks, with Beevers and Maddison also nearing to full fitness having battled through 90 minutes in their last outing.
Predicted Lineups:
Burnley – Hart; Lowton, Long, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Hendrick, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Rodriguez.
Peterborough – Pym; Butler, Beevers, Kent, Mason; Reed, Boyd, Woodyard, Maddison; Toney, Eisa.
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Key Clash
Chris Wood vs Mark Beevers
The Clarets will always stick to what they know, and hitting the big man up front early is a tried and tested method for success.
The defenders and midfielders will be looking to hit Wood early to test the former Bolton centre back, who stands at a mighty six-foot-four.
Beevers somewhat struggled when Lincoln sent of John Akinde, and this is when the Imps got back into the game.
Whoever wins this duel on the pitch will have a big baring on the result as, if Wood can flick the ball onto his smaller striker, The Posh will be in deep trouble.
For Peterborough, the key lies within the second balls if Beevers can beat his man in the air.
Louis Reed, Alex Woodyard and Boyd will be responsible for cleaning up in front of Beevers with Kent being tasked to sweep behind and keep track of any runners.
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Game delayed by one minute
All FA Cup ties this weekend have been delayed to encourage fans to “Take a Minute” to think about their mental health, as part of the Heads Up campaigns.
During the minute delay, fans will be encouraged to think about the positive impact just 60 seconds can have on their lives or the life a family member or friend around them.
The game at Turf Moor consequently kicks off at 12:31pm, as it was chosen for an oversees broadcast.