Post-Match Reaction - MK Dons

It's not often that I'm left with absolutely nothing to say, but this is definitely one of those occasions.

The first half lacked any real clear cut chances, other than Lee Angol having a shot cleared off the line. Harvey Barnes, on loan at MK from Leicester City, looked the most likely of the Dons players to cause Posh any problems, but the teams were as they started at 0-0 as they went in at the break. Marcus Maddison showed glimpses of quality but there was no end product from any Posh players in the first half.

45 minutes without conceding was the positive, but the lack of creativity and firepower was again evident, and something Posh needed to improve on in the second half. I can assure you they did the absolute opposite, Harvey Barnes slotted past Luke McGee to open the scoring, before Kieran Agard made it 2-0. Chuks Aneke scored the goal of the game to make it 3, and Posh's non-existent defence let him find space in the box to make it 4-0 to Robbie Neilson's side.

For my thoughts on why this has happened, again, take a look at my Believing Their Own Hype post from earlier in the week.

The next few days are now vital for Posh, who need to decide whether to accept bids for their main assets - who have all been nothing short of terrible in recent weeks. McCann has stated that the club have targets should they let their current players go - it's time to pursue those players in my opinion.

Grant McCann did finally ditch the diamond formation, in favour of a flat 4-4-2. However the two central midfielders were out of position on countless occasions, and Paul Taylor spent more time in the middle of the park than he did up front. It was a passionless, gutless, and uninterested performance yet again, and this simply cannot continue.

Final Score: Posh 0-4 MK Dons

Pre-Match Thoughts - MK Dons

The Posh are finally back at home in League One, and local(ish) rivals MK Dons are the visitors in a vital clash for Grant McCann's team. I wouldn't call it a must win just yet, but it's certainly a must not lose, after the woeful performance at Oldham in midweek. The game has been designated as Chris Turner day, in order to raise money for the statue of the Posh legend.

Posh

With regards to team news, it's quite difficult to predict what the line up will be this week. With a number of important players putting in below par performances of late, I can see a number of changes for this one.

Andrew Hughes has struggled lately, and with McCann wanting more emphasis on attacking football, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see former Crystal Palace left back Jerome Binnom-Williams in the starting XI.

I'd also expect to see Junior Morias make his home debut, maybe partnering Paul Taylor up front. Lee Angol and Tom Nichols haven't exactly hit off a partnership, and it looks as though it could be time for a change. Marcus Maddison has been linked with Fulham over the past couple of days, and if there's anything in that, it could be time for Brad Inman to step up and start a match for the first time in the league this season.

Predicted Line Up (Click image to enlarge):

Subs: Tyler, Hughes, Edwards, Samuelsen, Inman, Angol, Nichols

MK Dons 

Robbie Neilson is starting to come to terms with managing in English football, and seems to have helped his side turn a corner following their poor start to the season. Chuks Aneke has been a big part of what Neilson is trying to do at Stadium:MK, and he's certainly going to be one to watch, should he feature against The Posh.

They lost Samir Carruthers to Sheffield United this month, but put Northampton Town to the sword in their last league match, running out 5-3 winners against Justin Edinburgh's new team.   They had 4 goal scorers on that day, and they will be looking for a repeat performance at the ABAX on Saturday afternoon.

They currently sit in 16th in League One, but I'd fully expect them to improve on that position between now and the end of the season. That said, I hope they don't start improving against Posh!!

Prediction: Posh 2-1 MK Dons - Purely because Posh haven't lost back to back league games all season, I'm again expecting a reaction to the previous defeat, and hopefully the three points we desperately need at this stage of the season.

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