Posh host Cambridge United in the first group phase fixture of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening (7pm).
Peterborough United welcome local rivals Cambridge United to the Weston Homes Stadium on Tuesday evening (7pm) in the first group phase fixture of the EFL Trophy.
Colchester United and Tottenham Hotspur’s under 21s make up the rest of the group with two sides progressing to the knockout stages. This season’s competition marks a decade since Posh last won this competition (back in 2014) after a 3-1 victory over Chesterfield.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes, both sides will get a point and a penalty shoot out will determine who gets the extra point.
TEAM NEWS
Posh will be without the services of forward Ricky-Jade Jones who is expected to be on the sidelines for three weeks after suffering an injury in the previous match against Portsmouth. Jeando Fuchs and Will Blackmore remain unavailable with long-term injuries.
New signing Jacob Wakeling is cup-tied for the fixture after featuring for Swindon Town in this competition last month, while Malik Mothersille will not be available for selection for a number of weeks after missing pre-season. Defender Jadel Katongo could be in contention to make his debut after returning from England U20 training camp.
ONE TO WATCH
If Cambridge United do go strong, forward Fejiri Okenabirhie (pictured) will be one to watch. The former Doncaster Rovers man has enjoyed a terrific start to the 2023/24 campaign, netting four goals in seven appearances across all competitions, including scoring the winner against Reading in their last outing. 
FROM THE MANAGER
“I didn’t like the break, it came quite early. However, we have managed to freshen the players up a little bit and had a good look at the games we have played already, especially the areas we need to improve on. It’s good to be back though. This is a competition we want to do well in, we have done well in the past and can be really good for the players if they progress in the competition. It’s a tough start with Cambridge at home, who have started well, so we will treat the game with importance like any other game we have had,” Darren Ferguson said.
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are available at www.theposhtickets.com and from the Weston Homes Stadium Box Office. The Deskgo Stand and the Weston Homes London Road End will be closed for this fixture with Cambridge United fans accommodated in the away section of the North Stand.
PLAYED FOR BOTH
Former Posh promotion-winner Ryan Bennett (pictured below) committed to a new one-year contract with the U’s in the summer after joining midway through the 2022/24. Former Posh academy graduate Danny Andrew also signed for the U’s in the summer after a four-year spell at Fleetwood Town.
Chris Turner joined Posh from the U’s as a manager, but after a huge spell as a player in PE2, spent three years at the Abbey Stadium towards the end of his playing career. Goalkeeper Will Norris, who is currently at Portsmouth, made a name for himself at the U’s while having a loan spell at Posh during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
HEAD TO HEAD
The two sides have met on numerous occasions in this competition and Posh ran out 2-1 winners back in November 2019 where Ricky-Jade Jones netted his first goal for the club.
POSH+
Supporters in the UK and overseas will able to watch the action on Posh+ for £10. It will feature our commentary team, Phil Adlam and Bobby Copping. Audio passes are also available for £5, or alternatively, purchase a monthly pass for £6.50 and get audio for all the games in the month.
THE OFFICIALS
The match referee is Kirsty Dowle. Assistant referees are Hristo Karaivanov and Paul Stonier.