Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson is expecting to face an Ipswich Town side packed with ‘pace, energy and youthful legs’ this evening.

The two sides met at Portman Road last month in what was a game lacking in any real quality, with Posh running out 1-0 winners thanks to a Mark McGuinness own goal.

But, since then, Town have brought in Luke Matheson and Troy Parrott on loan, while Josh Harrop is also available after missing the first clash due to a positive Covid test.

“Ipswich have a good squad,” Ferguson told the Peterborough Telegraph.

“They’ve suffered a catalogue of injuries this season, but most of those players are now back and they’ve freshened the side up since we played them.

“The new players will bring pace, energy and youthful legs so I’m expecting a tough game against a side who will there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

“I watched their game at Crewe recently and they played very well and they played well again on Saturday (beating Blackpool 2-0) which will fill them with confidence ahead of tonight.”

The game is likely to be played in tricky conditions on a poor London Road surface which has been hit by technical issues over the last few months.

Posh have covered the pitch with a heated dome in recent days which is likely to ensure the contest goes ahead, but Ferguson believes conditions will be an impact on the game.

“I’m expecting a more open game than we saw at Portman Road. Our pitch lends itself to that. The groundstaff are working hard on the surface, but it won’t be any different to what it was on Saturday.

“We need to get through this game and then there’s 11 days before the next home match and hopefully the weather will improve and we get some growth into the pitch.

“You can play on it which is the good thing and we’ve been playing very well on it so we will go into the game with confidence. We’re strong at home. We’ve been scoring goals and we’ve been doing well defensively. We’ll do what we always do and cope with whatever is thrown at us.”