Both Peterborough United and Birmingham City suffered midweek defeats, with the Posh losing 3-1 to Reading on Tuesday at the Madejski Stadium, with goals from Tom Swift and Tom Dele-Bashiru (2) proving pivotal on the night. Nathan Thompson grabbed a late consolation goal for the visitors, but it is now five league games without a win for Darren Ferguson's side, with Ferguson stating after the game:

''The result is obviously disappointing  as we were in the game throughout. We are suffering at the minute which can happen in the Championship, so we have to dig deep, stay together and make sure we get a win on Saturday.”

After a fine run of form, Birmingham City came crashing back down to earth, suffering a 4-1 defeat against Championship table toppers Fulham at St. Andrew's. Denis Odoi, Harry Wilson and Aleksandar Mitrovic (2) scored for the Cottagers on a bad night for Blues, which slightly improved late on as boyhood fan Troy Deeney scored his first ever Birmingham goal. After the game, Birmingham City head coach Lee Bowyer said:

''Taking the goals away, I think we were just as good as them for the first 20 minutes. Before they scored, we were on the front foot and looked like causing them more problems, winning the ball back in key areas. We just lacked that little bit of quality in the final third, and I think that was the major difference on the night.''

  • Team news

Peterborough will be without experienced defender Mark Beevers who is suffering with a hamstring problem, while winger Ricky-Jade Jones is sidelined with a knee injury.

Joe Ward and Siriki Dembele are expected to play on the wings once more, with Jack Marriott likely to retain his position up front alongside  Jonson Clarke-Harris.

As for Birmingham, Neil Etheridge remains out as the goalkeeper continues his recovery from coronavirus. There are no new absentees for Blues, with Troy Deeney pushing for a place in the starting eleven after impressing from the bench on Wednesday. 

  • Predicted lineups

Peterborough United

Pym; Thompson, Edwards, Kent, Butler, Ward, Coventry, Norburn, Dembele, Marriott, Clarke-Harris

Birmingham City

Sarkic; Roberts, Dean, Pedersen, Colin, Woods, Gardner, Bela, Chong, Deeney, Hogan

  • Ones to watch

Peterborough United - Jonson Clarke-Harris

Peterborough are yet to make their mark on the Championship this season, unable to showcase the attacking threat which made them so prolific in League One last season, scoring a total of 83 league goals over 46 games, averaging just under two goals a game. Jonson Clarke-Harris scored 31 of those goals, clinching the League One Golden Boot award in the process. Clarke-Harris has only scored one Championship goal this season, and will be eager to add to his tally as he prepares to take on a Birmingham City defence which shipped four goals last time out. 

Birmingham City - Ryan Woods 

Since signing for Blues in the summer transfer window, Ryan Woods has played a major role in the adjustment of Birmingham's style of play, stepping onto teams on the front foot with possession-based football as opposed to siting back and soaking up pressure. Despite losing 4-1 to Fulham on Wednesday, Woods gave a good account of himself, playing with an air of confidence against solid opposition, dictating the tempo of the game and slowing things down when the midfield became too frantic. Birmingham ended Wednesday's game with 50% possession and against weaker opposition, Birmingham will expect to have more of the ball, allowing Woods to shine and demonstrate his passing ability. 

  • Previous meetings

The last meeting between these two sides came all the way back in 2013, with Birmingham recording a 2-0 away win with goals from Nikola Žigić and Chris Burke respectively. 

  • How to watch

The game will not be available to stream via iFollow in the UK this Saturday, as live streams for 15:00 BST kick-offs are no longer permitted. Tickets are currently still available for home supporters, but not available for away supporters. Fans outside of the UK can watch via iFollow by purchasing a match pass.