Peterborough vs Crawley Town
EFL Trophy
Wednesday
10th January 2024
Weston Homes Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the EFL Trophy fixture between Peterborough and Crawley Town.
Peterborough vs Crawley Town: Preview
Peterborough form analysis
The Posh have produced mixed results recently in their quest for League One survival. They started positively with a narrow 1-0 away win at Fleetwood Town thanks to Aaron Collins’ effort on December 16th. However defensive issues soon surfaced again during a seesaw 2-2 home draw with Barnsley on December 30th; after conceding twice in the first half Peterborough responded through braces from Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Knight only to again throw away winning positions late on.
This game management problem persisted on New Year’s Day during a thrilling 3-2 win away at promotion hopefuls Derby County, a match Peterborough led through Harrison Burrows before twice surrendering the advantage due to defensive issues. However, two late Ronnie Jones goals ultimately sealed a vital win to lift Peterborough off the bottom of the table. Overall, Peterborough have shown they carry a threat in attack, but remain too easy to breach at the back, an issue they must address to build momentum.
Crawley Town form analysis
Crawley Town have shown inconsistent form over their recent matches. On 23rd December, they suffered a disappointing 1-2 home loss against AFC Wimbledon, conceding goals in the 13th and 18th minutes. They bounced back well on 26th December with an impressive 0-2 away win over Gillingham, thanks to second half goals from Wright and Roles in the 24th and 71st minutes. However, their good form did not continue as on 30th December they succumbed to a 0-2 away loss to Milton Keynes Dons, unable to respond to early goals from Tomlinson and Gilbey.
Crawley started the new year strongly with a convincing 3-1 home win against Swindon on 1st January, with Orsi grabbing a brace in the 9th and 53rd minutes to add to Roles’ 26th minute strike. Most recently on 6th January, they earned an important 2-4 away win over Bradford City, overturning an early concession through goals from Orsi, an own goal, Campbell and a late brace including a penalty from Orsi to seal an comeback victory. Overall, Crawley have shown they can score goals regularly. But need to improve defensively after conceding in 4 of their last 5 matches. Addressing their defensive frailties could see their form stabilize over the second half of the season.
