Posh host Crawley Town in the first round of the Capital One Cup this evening (7.45pm).
Peterborough United entertain Sky Bet League Two side Crawley Town in the first round of the Capital One Cup at the ABAX Stadium this evening (7.45pm).Dave Robertson will be looking for a response from his side after they were beaten 2-0 at Rochdale on the opening day of the Sky Bet League One season. Crawley held Oxford United to a 1-1 draw at the Kassam Stadium in their first fixture.
The Reds were beaten 4-3 at the ABAX at the back end of the regular season last term as a double late on by Michael Bostwick turned the game on it's head just as it looked like Dean Saunders' men were going to leave with all three points.
During the summer, there has been a massive overhaul at Crawley with experienced manager Mark Yates taking over the helm following Saunders' departure. Hanging on to prolific striker Izale McLeod could be key to their promotion aspirations, he was the subject of a £100,000 bid from Notts County.
Posh boss Robertson is not taking the game lightly and will not rotate his squad for the cup-tie. 'I said before the season that I want us to progress in the cup competitions and the side I put out will reflect that. Myself and Grant McCann have watched Crawley's game at Oxford and we have had all of the reports on them.
'Mark Yates is a good manager with excellent experience and they have some good players so we will not be taking any opposition lightly,' Robertson said.
Ricardo Almeida-Santos has a chance of being involved after missing the defeat at Rochdale due to injury. Michael Smith remains a doubt with a back problem while Jack Baldwin remains sidelined. Shaun Brisley is over a bout of tonsillitis that troubled him for much of last week.
Crawley's summer signings Shamir Fenelon, Callum Preston and Bryan Van Den Bogaert are still awaiting their full debuts for the League Two side. The Red Devils reached the second round of the League Cup last season, losing 3-1 to Norwich City.
Conor Washington scored a brace in both games against Crawley Town in 2014-15 while Crawley have lost three and drawn one of their previous four League Cup away games.
There will be a minute's silence ahead of the game in memory of former Posh goalkeeper Tony Millington who sadly passed away last week. The Posh players will wear black armbands.
If the scores are level tonight at the conclusion of the 90 minutes, the tie will go to extra time and then penalty kicks.
Tickets for the game are available at www.theposhtickets.com, via the Ticketmaster hotline 0844 847 1934 or in person at the ABAX Stadium Box Office.
The prices are £20 for adults, £10 for over 60s and 18-21-year-olds and £5 for under 18s.
Executive tickets are priced at £25 for adults and £15 for concessions (includes a programme and tea and coffee).
The Motorpoint Stand will be closed for the fixture.