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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