Peterborough United currently sit 17th in League One, joint on points with Northampton Town (18th), only being above them on goal difference. In the past five games, Peterborough have managed to find their first bit of form since mid-August. They are currently on a five-game unbeaten run (3 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses) after facing Huddersfield (A), Wrexham in the Vertu Trophy semi-final (A), and Blackpool (A). Since 4th December, Peterborough have suffered a notable absence in Kwame Poku, who has missed the past 22 games but is expected to return for their home fixture against Wycombe Wanderers on 8th March 2025. Poku currently sits 5th in the league for total goals and assists (G/A) with 15, only three behind first-placed Jay Stansfield. With Peterborough picking up form, the question arises: will he be starting straight away? Who will he replace? These are the two questions that I’ll be exploring today.
Will He Be Starting?
I personally believe that he will be starting due to just how good a player he is. At only 23, with 211 games played and 68 G/A across two clubs, he also made his Ghana debut at just 19, coming off the bench with 11 minutes remaining in their 3-1 win against São Tomé and Príncipe. Poku played for 60 minutes during an in-house friendly last week and has been working hard on the training ground. Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson said, “We played Kwame in an in-house game on Friday just so he could reassure himself the injury has cleared up. If he was involved tomorrow (Blackpool away), he would get very limited game time, but if we get another good week into him, he could start against Wycombe”.
Who Will He Replace?
This is probably the toughest question to answer. Since Poku’s injury, Posh winger Cian Hayes has played in his absence with multiple great performances, so I don’t think that he should be dropped. Next would be Abraham Odoh, who has picked up a lot of form recently after a tough start at the Weston Homes Stadium, so I also don’t believe that he should be dropped. Finally, there’s Malik Mothersille, who has been playing in more of a No. 10 role supporting Bradley Ihionvien but hasn’t been at his best recently. This leads me to say that I think Malik Mothersille will be dropped for Poku, leaving Posh with a front four of Odoh (LW), Poku (AM), Bradley Ihionvien (CF), and Hayes (RW).
Prediction
Finally, I’ll give you my predictions for Peterborough United vs. Wycombe Wanderers. This will definitely be a close game. With Wycombe sitting 2nd in League One, they have already beaten Posh this season (3-1), but will Posh start Poku, and will they be able to keep up their form? I personally am going to predict a 2-1 win for Peterborough United, with a goal from Poku and a goal from Bradley Ihionvien to win the game late on.
