Leeds United make the trip to London Road today for a 3PM kick-off. Garry Monk's side go into this clash aiming to make it four wins out of four in pre-season, after a blend of youngsters and first-team players saw off the challenge of Vanarama National League side Guiseley last night.
Goals from Ash Palmer (x2), and Jake Lawlor saw Guiseley race into a 3-0 lead, but Leeds overturned the sizable deficit and eventually ran out as 4-3 winners. Strikes from Eoghan Stokes, Jordan Botaka, Kalvin Phillips, and Souleymane Doukara ensured that United maintained their 100% record in pre-season.
A far stronger United lineup will take to the field at London Road today, with the aim of keeping the aforementioned 100% pre-season record intact.
Team News
(Leeds) - Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post has said on Twitter that he expects the following team to be named today: Green, Purver, Bamba, Bartley, Taylor, Murphy, Grimes, Dallas, Mowatt, Roofe, Antonsson.
(Leeds) - Gaetano Berardi and Liam Cooper will miss out once again. Swiss right-back Berardi is likely to resume training next week, whilst centre-back Cooper will be out for a little longer with a minor calf tear.
(Peterborough) - Striker Lee Angol is set to miss out due to injury, but Posh boss Grant McCann has every other member of the squad available for selection.
Media
Leeds - Garry Monk gave his verdict on United's win over Guiseley last night.
"We were disappointed with the first half,” said Monk. "It wasn’t the performance we were looking for and the players are fully aware of that. "It was quite uncharacteristic from the group from what I’ve seen in the last three-and-a-half weeks.
"I didn’t expect that, but in the second half we showed our character and what we’re capable of; what we’ve been working on. It was pleasing that we got that reaction at half-time and the most important part is winning the game.
"This is a very young group and they’ve still got a lot of experiences to go through. I told them at the end that it was a valuable lesson at any age. "The younger you can learn that lesson, where, the moment you lose a little bit of focus or a little bit of intensity, even by small percentages, you can get hurt by any team. Guiseley totally deserved their goals.
"We can talk about the goals from individual perspectives but it’s not about that. It’s about the lesson that young players need to learn very quickly — and that came tonight. "The positive is that it has come in pre-season — that’s when you try and get out any rustiness and any mistakes to make sure you’re ready for the season. "I was very pleased with the reaction after half-time and that second-half performance to get themselves back into a winning position.”
Peterborough - Grant McCann has admitted that today's clash will be a tough proposition for his Posh side, but he also stressed that he and his team were looking forward to taking on the Whites.
McCann told Peterborough's official website: "Leeds will be a tough test for us, but it is one that we are looking forward to. I know Leeds will bring a lot of fans and it should be a decent atmosphere.
"The players are well aware that we need to step it up now. We are two weeks away from the start of the season and everyone needs to realise that because it will be here very quickly.
"In the next few games we will be giving the players' 90 minutes now. They need to get used to playing with each other and we know what is required."
Memorable Match
Peterborough 2-3 Leeds United (2011-12)
This dramatic encounter from season 2011-12 saw Leeds win at Peterborough for the first time in the league. United were 2-1 to the good and were looking comfortable with time running out after goals from Andy Keogh and Adam Clayton, but the visitors let their guard down, allowing Mark Little to seemingly secure a point for the hosts.
However, there was one final twist, as defender Darren O'Dea flicked in a Clayton free-kick five minutes into added time to secure the three points on the day.
Opposition in Profile: Peterborough
Founded: 1934
Nickname: The Posh
Stadium: London Road (currently known as the ABAX Stadium due to sponsorship)
Capacity: 15,135
Chairman: Darragh MacAnthony
Manager: Grant McCann
League: League One
Last Season: League One, 13th.
Since their relegation from the Championship in 2013, Peterborough have played in League One. The club did win the 2013-14 edition of the Football League Trophy, but they have been unable to claw their way back up into the second tier.
The club are currently managed by Grant McCann, after Graham Westley was sacked in April following a poor string of results. As a player, 36-year-old McCann made 128 league appearances for Peterborough between 2010 and 2015, scoring 29 goals in the process.
Current members of the Posh squad include midfielder Michael Bostwick and defender Ryan Tafazolli. Bostwick has made over 100 appearances for the club since joining from Stevenage in 2012, whilst Tafazolli, a recent signing at London Road, made 109 appearances for former employers Mansfield Town prior to his move this summer.
Posh's traditional rivals are Northampton Town, but in recent years supporters have begun to view MK Dons and Leicester City as rivals. The upcoming season will see the rivalries with MK Dons and Northampton rekindled, after MK suffered relegation from the Championship, and Northampton stormed their way to the League Two title.