Pre-Match Thoughts - Millwall

After Saturday's win against Rochdale, Posh move swiftly on to a tough trip to the Den to play Millwall on Tuesday night.

Millwall

Millwall come into the game on the back of a 0-0 draw against Oldham Athletic. They missed two penalties in stoppage time at the end of the game as Oldham stopper Connor Ripley singled handedly denied them all three points. This came as good news to Posh, who can leapfrog their opponents with a win at The Den.

They're likely to set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with two banks of four set up to frustrate Posh's attacking threats. Shaun Williams in central midfield is pivotal to how they play, both defensively and the threat he poses when his team attack. He's good in the air, he can pick a pass, and has also been known to hit the occasional screamer, whether that be from open play or a free kick.

Lee Gregory is another threat that Posh need to be aware of. He knows where the goal is, and alongside veteran striker Steve Morison, the Posh back line will be in for a battle on Tuesday night. Fred Onyedinma has been impressive for Millwall this season, and he may turn provider for most chances that drop to Morison and Gregory.

Posh

Jack Baldwin, as we know, has picked up a two match ban after his second red card of the season on Saturday. Posh have sent Dominic Ball back to Rotherham after he and Posh boss Grant McCann had a disagreement over a team selection which saw Ball drop to the bench. That has subsequently led McCann to send him back to his parent team. In his interview, he said we don't need players like that at the football club, so we move on without him, and hopefully it'll be for the better. Ball had performed fairly well in his games with the Posh, but we do have options in the back line, so it shouldn't cause too much of a problem.

Both Anthony Grant and Chris Forrester come back into contention after serving their suspensions. I would expect them both to start, given Baldwin's suspension and Ball's departure, as Michael Bostwick will probably partner Ryan Tafazolli at the heart of the defence. This could see Grant and Forrester playing the holding roles in front of the back four, if Posh decide to continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation which proved to be successful against Rochdale on Saturday. Forrester could play a more advanced role, though, with Leo Da Silva Lopes and Brad Inman also in contention for the midfield spots.

If McCann doesn't want to drop Bostwick into the middle of the back four, he could shift Andrew Hughes across and play Jerome Binnom-Williams at left back. Hughes played a number of games for Newport at centre back. However, at the start of the season, McCann spoke of the importance of having one left footer, and one right footer at the heart of the defence, and the only player he can play in the middle with Tafazolli to keep that balance, is Bostwick.

Tom Nichols, I imagine, will keep his place after his goal on Saturday, which will leave Craig Mackail-Smith, Junior Morias and Lee Angol out of the starting line up. CMS is still in search of his 100th goal, and if he's going to get it in this one, it will probably have to be during a substitute appearance.

Harry Anderson has trained this week and could come into McCann's thinking, but that would probably only be as a substitute. He has stiff competition in his position, with Martin Samuelsen, Brad Inman and Callum Chettle all vying for places in the squad.

My predicted Posh line-up (click image to enlarge):

Subs: Tyler, Binnom-Williams, Inman, Samuelsen, Morias, Angol, Mackail-Smith

Prediction: Millwall 0-1 Posh - After Saturday's result, there's reason to be optimistic. Grant and Forrester's return could play a huge part in snatching all three points from Millwall. Millwall haven't conceded many recently, so I wouldn't expect us to get more than one or two, but having been shut out by Oldham on Saturday, I'm hoping Posh can capitalise on any lack of confidence up top. 

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Post-Match Reaction - Rochdale

Well, it wasn't perfect by any means, but it was certainly a vast improvement on the recent performances from the Posh.

Posh started brightly but couldn't muster anything clear cut to trouble the Dale keeper. That was until Jack Baldwin found space in the box to steer Posh into a 1-0 lead following a corner from Marcus Maddison. A move followed that looked almost like the Posh of old - good work on the right wing afforded Leo Da Silva Lopes the space to set Tom Nichols up for his 12th goal of the season. And just like that, Posh switched back to the team who have been leaking goals in recent weeks, the defence were cut open by a through ball which allowed Joe Thompson a simple one on one finish to reduce the arrears for the visitors. Joe Rafferty saw a red just before half time when he picked up a second yellow for hauling back Marcus Maddison. So Posh led 2-1 at half time, and apart from the goal conceded, it was looking pretty good.

Eight minutes into the second half, Donal McDermott became the second Dale player to be sent for an early bath. His lunging tackle on Baldwin was his final action of the game, as referee Chris Sarginson gave him a straight red card. Posh had a number of chances, but the likes of Brad Inman Marcus Maddison and birthday boy Craig Mackail-Smith all squandered decent attempts to put the game beyond any reasonable doubt. Referee Sarginson brought the red card out for the third time in the game, sending Jack Baldwin off for a second bookable offence, before Paul Taylor ended the contest with a well struck effort which left Wilson in the Dale goal with no chance.

Final Score: Posh 3-1 Rochdale

My man of the match: Michael Bostwick - Didn't put a foot wrong all afternoon, and timed his tackles to perfection. Provided good protection for the back four and a partnership with Anthony Grant seems exciting.

There were plenty of positives on show for the Posh, but some areas for concern, also. The defence, despite looking fairly solid for most of the afternoon, were completely undone by one decent pass for the Rochdale goal. Ryan Tafazolli charged out of the back line on a few occasions to try and win the ball high up the pitch, and one of those ended up seeing his defensive partner, Baldwin, sent off.

Tafazolli was beaten by a Dale man and, in my opinion, should've took one for the team and hauled the man down before he reached Baldwin. He didn't do so, and Baldwin was left with no other alternative other than to let the man run in on goal, or bring him down. He chose the latter, and will now probably miss the next two games due to his sending off earlier in the season.

Posh played more of a 4-2-3-1, which looked pretty good. Grant McCann spoke in his post match interview about the importance of getting his more influential players higher up the pitch - he was spot on. Taylor and Maddison found plenty of space to work in and produced the kind of quality we've become used to seeing from them. Tom Nichols benefitted from their movement and quality deliveries, as did Mackail-Smith, who really should've scored his 100th goal for the club today.

On Tuesday we go to Millwall, and will have Anthony Grant back in contention. Grant alongside Bostwick in a 4-2-3-1 formation could work for Posh. Both are solid, and working together could provide some much needed protection for our still shaky back line. I imagine Leo Da Silva Lopes or Brad Inman could drop out of the starting XI, but I'll revisit that prospect in my pre-match thoughts ahead of Tuesday's game.

So the win for Posh left us just three points off the playoffs, with Millwall drawing to Oldham, and Southend slipping up at Gillingham. Three points on Tuesday could see Posh move level on points with 6th place Southend, and in all honesty you really would have to put Posh right back in the playoff picture should that take place. Southend don't play on Tuesday, so they will have a game in hand, but three points are vital in what has to go down as the most important game of the season so far at The Den on Tuesday!

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Pre-Match Thoughts - Rochdale

After Tuesday night's disaster, the Posh welcome Rochdale to the ABAX Stadium in a must win fixture for Grant McCann's team.

Posh

For 40 minutes, Posh weren't too bad on Tuesday. But that doesn't take away from the capitulation that eventually took place. We were all over the place defensively and didn't look like we were ever going to create enough chances to compete with Southend.

Dominic Ball could come back into contention after being dropped to the bench on Tuesday, as two games in a week might come too soon for Jack Baldwin. Having said that, Michael Bostwick also looked a bit leggy towards the end of Tuesdays game, so at least one of them is likely to play. Chris Forrester and Anthony Grant are still suspended, so Ball could feature either at the heart of the defence, or in front of the back four.

Martin Samuelsen didn't have much of an affect on Tuesday's game, so I'd expect him to start on the bench on Saturday. Paul Taylor could come back in to the line up, whilst Brad Inman will also probably be in contention. Harry Anderson is nearing a return but still has some work to do, so I wouldn't expect to see him in the match day squad this weekend.

Tom Nichols could also return to the line up after his goal on Tuesday night. Craig Mackail-Smith is his likely strike partner, as Junior Morias could drop to the bench. Lee Angol may also be in the question but I imagine he'll be amongst the subs again.

My predicted line-up (click image to enlarge): 

Subs: Tyler, Binnom-Williams, Baldwin, Samuelsen, Inman, Angol, Morias

Rochdale

Posh's opponents are on a run of 7 games without a win in all competitions, but still sit one place above Posh in the League One table. Their last match was a 3-3 draw to Charlton Athletic, where former Posh man Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored 6 minutes from time to rescue a point for Keith Hill's team. 

Calvin Andrew is one of Dale's main goal threats, and will be one to watch if he gets the nod to start against Posh on Saturday. He was among the scorers in the game against Charlton, and will be looking to continue his run against a fragile Posh defence. Ian Henderson is also a threat, and scored against Posh on the opening day of the season. Posh won 3-2 on the day, thanks to a last minute diving header from Gwion Edwards. 

Steven Davies signed a new one year deal with our visitors recently, but may miss the game through injury. Mendez-Laing could earn a start, but may have to settle for a place on the bench against his former employers. 

It seems Dale's defence may be just as fragile as Posh's, so if Posh can create a few chances, we might be in for a high scoring game, for a change (not meaning to tempt fate, of course).

Prediction: Posh 2-1 Rochdale - I don't know why, but I've gone for a Posh win. Dale's defence looks dodgy and if Posh's can hold firm, I reckon we're fully capable of snatching all three points on Saturday. I'm also backing CMS to bag his 100th goal in front of the London Road End to win the game, so I've got everything crossed for tomorrow's game. 

Follow me on Twitter: @TomLea_