A look ahead to the Bristol Street Motors Trophy final with Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (4.30pm).
Peterborough United face fellow Sky Bet League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers in the final of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon (4.30pm) with just under 23,000 Posh fans making the journey to the capital.
Posh reached the final after a superb 3-0 victory at Blackpool in the semi-finals with Wycombe overcoming Bradford at Valley Parade thanks to a last-minute winner. The two sides have met twice this season, with the points shared at the Weston Homes Stadium with the Chairboys coming out on top 5-2 at Adams Park.
TEAM NEWS
Winger Michael Olakigbe has been ruled out for a few weeks after picking up an injury ahead of the final, so James Dornelly, who is now back fit after a toe problem has been added to the group.
Jacob Wakeling is cup-tied, while goalkeeper Will Blackmore and midfielder Jeando Fuchs remain on the side-lines through injury. Wycombe have a number of players that are battling for fitness including midfielder Josh Scowen and attacking full-back Kane Vincent-Young.
Ryan Tafazolli could feature against his former club while Kieran Sadlier has an excellent record against us for every club that he has featured for.
ONE TO WATCH
Sam Vokes
Powerful striker Vokes joined the Chairboys in July 2021 from Stoke City, arriving with a wealth of experience - including on the international stage where his goal sent Wales through to the 2016 European Championships semi-finals - and proved his worth with 17 goals in his first season.
Coming through AFC Bournemouth’s ranks where he scored 16 in 54 appearances, his career progressed at Wolves, before he had several loan spells including Leeds United and Bristol City.
The Welshman made a permanent switch to Burnley in 2012, racking up 56 goals in 230 matches and scoring the goal that sealed promotion back to the top flight in a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in 2016.
In the Premier League, he led the line as the Lancashire club affirmed their place in the big time, scoring against Liverpool in 2016 and two against Chelsea in 2017 alongside the club’s first goal in Europa League qualifying, against Aberdeen in July 2018.
A 2019 move to Stoke City followed, before he was unveiled at Adams Park ahead of the pre-season friendly against Leicester City in July 2021, going on to score 17 goals in a memorable first season with the Blues, and penning a deal to extend his stay for a further year.
The target man’s international career complements an eye-catching club career, being called up to the Wales team in May 2008. His first goal came in a 2010 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan, and he was later called up to the 2016 European Championship Squad where he scored the third in an historic 3-1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals.
FROM THE MANAGER
“It is a great day for the supporters, the staff, my management team and the players and I am sure everybody connected with the club are really excited about the prospect of being at Wembley Stadium. I know the team that I am going to pick, the players will be told on Saturday. I don’t believe the two games this season will have any bearing on the final, it is a one-off game, but there is no doubt that Wycombe are a hard side to beat,”Darren Ferguson said.
TICKET NEWS
Posh have sold just under 23,000 tickets for the game, but tickets are now off sale. Wycombe have sold just under 16,000 tickets.
POSH+
Audio passes are available in the UK and overseas with passes available for £5. Chris Dowsett and Nilesh Patel will be on commentary and will be live an hour ahead of kick-off with interviews with a number of personnel including ex-Posh defender Gabriel Zakuani.
Match passes are available for overseas subscribers in certain territories priced at £10.
HEAD TO HEAD
Posh beat Wycombe Wanderers 4-2 back in March 2019 with Matt Godden and Marcus Maddison both scoring a brace. Current Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield made his 500th career appearance on that day.
A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS
As mentioned previously, Kieran Sadlier and Ryan Tafazolli (pictured below) will be coming up against their former clubs as will Josh Knight, who spent a season on-loan at Adams Park in the Championship. Among the other players to have featured for both include; Andre Boucaud, Tom Williams, Sergio Torres, Chris Westwood, Guy Whittingham, Junior Morias, Reuben Reid, Craig Mackail-Smith, Junior Morias, Russell Martin, Miguel De Souza, David Farrell, Lee Angol, Drewe Broughton and Grant Basey.
TRAIN INFORMATION
Supporters travelling by train are advised to arrive at the station early as there is a queuing system in place from 6am until 4pm. The queue is expected to be substantial.
Please not that the game will go to extra-time and penalties if level after 90 minutes.
KIT COLOURS
Posh will be in their home kit for the game.
MATCH OFFICIAL
Scott Oldham is the match referee.