Peterborough vs Leyton Orient Prediction

Final day drama was not too much of a concern for League One, with many of the most important positions at the top of the league being settled early on. Indeed, it was Leyton Orient’s terrific start to the campaign which saw them elevated into the position of firm favourites. They were unable to keep up the pace however, and were eventually over taken by a high flying Wolves and a hard working Brentford. The points which they put on the board early in the season were enough to keep them high up while their good goal scoring form meant a strong goal difference to place them third ahead of Rotherham. Peterborough, on the other hand, managed to settle in sixth with several games to go. After putting enough distance between them and the chasing pack, there was still a large gap between sixth place and the positions above. With both teams opting for a 4-4-2 line up, Orient’s superior options along the wings could be enough to feed an accomplished attack.

Form

Limping across the finish line is a term which could be applied to Leyton Orient, had the slump not lasted more than a few months. So good was their unbeaten start that even a drop off mid-season has kept them there or there about. Having been unable to recapture the form they showed at the start of the season, three wins and two losses from their last five could even be considered some sort of form. Finishing the main season on two wins, that could be the kind of result they need going into their important playoff matches.

Peterborough have been more consistent over the course of the season, never shining too brightly but likewise, never allowing a few bad results to accumulate into anything less. While their opponents may have had higher ambitions, fifty eight goals conceded demonstrates one of Peterborough’s main problems. An iffy defence will come up against some of the league’s best scorers, with only four clean sheets in their last ten.

Team News

Having secured sixth place several weeks ago, Peterborough have used their last few matches to try several new approaches. Rotating both players and system, they are likely to return to their most used formation for the home leg, with the return of Assombalonga and Washington up front after Vassell failed to impress in the previous game. Should they go ahead, a striker could drop deeper into the midfield to exert a bit of control, with McQuoid and option should the manager decide to attempt this.

Orient are likely to start with the same players which started their last match. Having relied on the partnership of Lisbie and Mooney in recent weeks, they will be hoping that Vincelot and Lundstram will be able to control the midfield area. The defensive line is likely to rotate, with Obubajo dropping back from midfield to provide additional thrust from the right back position. Baudry and Clarke will retain their partnership in the centre of the defence with Jones in goal.

Peterborough

P46 W23 D05 L18

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Predicted Line-Up (4-4-2): Day; Little, Baldwin, Nugent, Ntlhe; Ajose, Newell, Payne, Rowe; Assombalonga, Washington.

Leyton Orient

P46 W25 D11 L10

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Predicted Line-Up (4-4-2): Jones; Obubajo, Baudry, Clarke, Sawyer; Omozusi, Vincelot, Lundstram, Cox; Lisbie, Mooney

Prediction: Peterborough 1 - 2 Leyton

Peterborough have altered their approach in recent weeks, but a leaky defence is unlikely to keep out some of the best scorers in the division.