Morecambe will be aiming to escape the League One relegation zone when they welcome Peterborough United to the Mazuma Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts are in 21st place but could move out of the bottom four with a draw, while the visitors are up in ninth and will want to get their push for the playoffs back on track.

Match preview

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Morecambe are once again in the mix at the bottom end of the table, having acquired just 28 points in their 30 matches up to this point.

The Shrimps are one point behind 20th-placed MK Dons, but they have a game in hand at their disposal, while they could also overtake Burton Albion with a victory on Saturday.

For much of the season, Derek Adams's side posed a decent defensive record for a team fighting relegation, but it will concern their manager just how badly they have deteriorated in this regard.

In their last five matches, Morecambe have conceded 14 goals, and they have been on the receiving end of some real batterings, losing 5-0 away at Derby County and 4-0 away at Ipswich Town, although both of these sides are currently in the playoffs.

Last time out, the Shrimps once again came up short away from home, being defeated 3-0 at Sheffield Wednesday, and the result continued their very poor record on their travels, picking up just seven points all season, the fewest of any side in the third tier.

Peterborough had aspirations at the other end of the table before the season began, and they are just about still in contention for promotion, but recent form means it will be very difficult.

The Posh have lost their last two matches, and they could not have looked further away from a promotion-winning side in a 5-0 home defeat against Bolton Wanderers, which does not bode well for the rest of the season.

Darren Ferguson would have been hoping for a response from his players after such a disappointing display, but they followed it up with a 1-0 defeat away at Fleetwood Town, a team that looked very much in relegation contention until recently.

Away form has plagued Peterborough all season, picking up just 16 points in their 15 games on their travels so far, a record that ranks them 18th in the division, to make their task even tougher heading into Saturday's game.

That said, the Posh did comfortably dispatch of Morecambe in the reverse fixture, running out 3-0 winners at the Weston Homes Stadium back in August, and that should give them confidence heading into Saturday's game.

Team News

The Shrimps have no fresh injury concerns to deal with, but Adams may choose to make a couple of changes on the back of his side's 3-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

Michael Mellon was withdrawn at half-time against the Owls, and the youngster is yet to score in five appearances for Morecambe, so Adam Mayor could well get the nod in attack, partnering Cole Stockton, who has two goals in his last four games.

Jake Taylor got some minutes after recently returning from injury, but the midfielder is unlikely to be considered for a start just yet, with Dan Crowley keeping his advanced midfield position.

As for Peterborough, something badly needs to change if they are to stand any chance of gaining promotion this season, and so striker Kabongo Tshimanga could be handed his first start, having arrived from Chesterfield in January.

If the 25-year-old does come into the fold, it is very likely he will play alongside Jonson Clarke-Harris, who has 16 goals in League One this season, the highest amount of any player in the third tier.

Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Ripley; Rawson, Bedeau, Delaney, Simeu, Gibson; Shaw, Weir, Crowley; Mayor, Stockton

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Norris; Thompson, Kent, Edwards, Ogbeta; Taylor, Kyprianou, Ward, Mason-Clark; Clarke-Harris, Tshimanga

We say: Morecambe 1-1 Peterborough United

Peterborough have been very disappointing on the road all season, while Morecambe have been decent at the Mazuma Stadium, ranking in the top half for points acquired on home soil, so we expect this one to play out as a draw.

The Posh will be very keen to get back to winning ways after terrible recent form, but they came unstuck against Fleetwood last time out, and it would not be a surprise if they struggled again against the Shrimps.

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