Peterborough United and Accrington Stanley are set to face off in League One on Saturday afternoon, with both sides aiming to establish some consistent form ahead of the late season run in. 

Peterborough currently sit in second position in the table, but a run of three defeats in their last five matches has threatened their spot in the automatic promotion places.

Accrington sit ten places further back in 12th position, and still have hopes of mounting a charge into the play-offs. After three defeats in a row, victory over Wigan Athletic last weekend would have undoubtedly improved the mood around the squad.

  • Team news

Siriki Dembele should be available for the Posh, even as he continues to struggle with a back problem. 

Jack Taylor and Ronnie Edwards will not be able to make the squad due to injury, but they could return next weekend.

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Accrington manager John Coleman will be missing star striker Dion Charles for the match, after he received a call-up to the Northern Ireland squad ahead of their World Cup qualifying matches. Charles had contributed 17 goals so far this season, so his absence will be a big blow.

Stanley will remain without Colby Bishop, Seamus Conneely, Nathan Baxter, Tariq Uwakwe, Josh Pritchard and Ross Sykes through injury.

  • Predicted lineups

Peterborough (3-4-2-1): Pym - Kent, Thompson, Beevers - Ward, Brown, Hamilton, Butler - Szmodics, Dembele - Clarke-Harris.

Accrington (3-5-2): Savin - Nottingham, Hughes, Burgess - Rodgers, Barclay, Morgan, Butcher, Maguire - McConville, Smyth.

  • Form guide

Peterborough have not managed to match up to their usual standards in recent matches. One win in their last five games has put them under pressure of losing their spot in the automatic promotion places, and they also needed a last minute equaliser to draw to bottom side Rochdale last weekend. Third place Sunderland are hot on their heels as they are only two points behind with a game in hand, so Darren Ferguson will need to remedy things quickly to secure promotion.

Accrington also haven't been in great form as of late, as they suffered three losses in a row to Bristol Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Sunderland. However, a 3-1 victory over Wigan last time out has steadied the ship a little, and they'll be hoping to build on that performance at the weekend to keep their play-off dreams alive. 

  • Ones to watch

Jonson Clarke-Harris will undoubtedly be the one to watch for Peterborough. The striker is joint top scorer in League One this season, with only Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke keeping pace with him on 22 goals. Even though it has been a relatively dry period for Clarke-Harris, with only one goal in seven matches, he can't be ruled out as a threat by any means.

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Sean McConville will probably be the one to watch for Accrington due to Dion Charles' absence. The experienced midfielder has taken on the captain's armband due to usual skipper Seamus Conneely being injured, and has proved his versatility by moving into a forward position.

He has managed three assists in his last five games, and manager Coleman described him as being "at the heart of most things that we've done,” when speaking to the club's YouTube channel after the win over Wigan. 

  • Previous meetings

The last time these two sides met was in the reverse fixture earlier this season, which was actually on the first matchday of the 20/21 League One campaign. Accrington ran out 2-0 winners on that day thanks to strikes from Dion Charles and Tariq Uwakwe.

In the overall head-to-head record it is Peterborough who come out on top though, having won six of the nine encounters. There is still yet to be a draw in a game between the two teams.

  • How to watch

The game has not been selected for TV coverage in the UK, but an iFollow pass can be purchased for £10 via either club's website to stream the game live.

Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00 GMT.