A look ahead to Thursday’s Emirates FA Cup Third Round meeting with Everton at Goodison Park (7.45pm).
Peterborough United will be buoyed by a sold-out away crowd when Darren Ferguson’s men make the trip to Premier League opposition Everton in the Emirates FA Cup Third Round, with the action getting underway from Goodison Park at 7.45pm.
Posh left Wrexham unrewarded last time out, with Steven Fletcher’s late header proving decisive despite a much-improved performance on the road.
Everton meanwhile head into the tie on the back of a 1-0 league defeat to AFC Bournemouth, extending their winless run to five while only scoring once across this period.
The Blues have a strong track record in the competition, winning the competition five times while also reaching consecutive Quarter-Finals in recent years (2020-21, 2021-22).
TEAM NEWS
Posh are without the services of Kwame Poku and Rio Adebisi who remains sidelined due to injury but Gustav Lindgren is available and will feature at Goodison Park.
Carl Johnston is cup-tied after the full-back featured in Fleetwood Town’s FA Cup defeat to Reading.
Everton’s leading contributor Dwight McNeil (6) is unavailable after the wide man picked up a knee injury in the 4-0 win over Wolves.
James Garner, Youssef Chermiti and Tim Iroegbunam all miss out, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a doubt after sustaining an ankle injury.
Armando Broja and Jesper Lindstrøm were handed a setback on the weekend after the pair left the field with separate injury concerns and will be assessed nearer to the time.
MANAGER QUOTES
"It is an opportunity for my young players to go there and express themselves, play the way that we want our teams to play and concentration will be vital. Sometimes in these ties, as players, you can think you are comfortable and then suddenly the tie is over. We have to remain concentrated for the entire game. The support from the fans has been first class all season and to take what we are taking there on a Thursday night is incredible," Darren Ferguson said.
OPPOSITION IN FOCUS
Having battled relegation three years on the bounce, Sean Dyche’s side find themselves only two points above the drop zone this time around. Everton have had a tough time at home this term, managing only three wins out of 11 matches across all competitions. That said, there’s a silver lining for the Blues who have recently been acquired by the Friedkin Group – who also own Italian giants AS Roma – ahead of their transition to Bramley-Moore Dock in the summer.
A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS
Simon Davies – a former Welsh international, Davies began his playing career with the Posh Academy, operating as a central midfielder in his time at London Road. Davies progressed through our Academy system and established himself as a First Team regular where he amassed over 50 appearances in blue and white. The Welshman was selected for the Division Three Team of the Year and named as our Player of the Year following the 1998-1999 campaign, before securing his big move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Davies also enjoyed stints at Everton – where he would enjoy two seasons on Merseyside – playing in the UEFA Champions League, before making the switch to Fulham in the capital where he would become a mainstay in midfield. There, he helped the Cottagers reach the Final of the UEFA Europa League where his volleyed effort cancelled out Atletico Madrid’s lead in the first half, before the Spaniards would run out winners in extra time. Davies called time on his playing career in 2013; with more than 350 club-level appearances to his name, alongside 58 caps for Wales.
CUP REWIND
Posh have fond memories of this stage in the competition. Rewind to 2018, Grant McCann’s side were handed a Third Round tie against Aston Villa – who ranked 27 places above Posh at the time in the Football League. Keinan Davis opened the scoring for the then-Championship side, but three goals in 15 minutes gave Posh a memorable victory at Villa Park, with Jack Marriott (2) and Ryan Tafazolli coming up with our goals on the day.
THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
The two sides have only met once competitively, when Posh were handed a 2-1 defeat in the second round of the League Cup back in 2006. Tim Cahill struck late on at London Road, cancelling out Trevor Benjamin’s leveller in front of a crowd of 10,756.
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are SOLD-OUT for Posh supporters with 2,976 making the trip to Goodison Park. Supporters without tickets can alternatively watch the action live on BBC Red Button.
KIT COLOURS
Posh will be in the away kit for this game.
MATCH OFFICIAL
Thomas Bramall is the match referee.