League Two Doncaster Rovers make the trip to League One highflyers Peterborough United this weekend for a second-round FA Cup tie, with a spot in the next round up for grabs and a potential tie against one of the Premier League Elite come the new year.
Heading into the match at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, Peterborough have managed nine goals without reply in the last two games on home soil, and three wins in their last five in all competitions, including a pulsating 4-4 draw against Salford City in the first-round replay before beating them on penalties. It also took an equaliser from Emmanuel Fernandez right at the death to secure a reply after they found themselves 2-1 down against the League Two outfit.
Goals are a regular occurrence at Peterborough, being the highest scorers in the division with 37 league goals in just 19 games. Rovers on the other hand have 25 goals so far this season, but both are amongst the big scorers in this competition.
The Posh currently sit fifth in League One, only four points off the top and they are also fifth in the form table as they look to hunt down the early pacesetters in Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth. Last time out in the league, Boro came from two goals down to get a draw away at Stevenage. Joe Randall and Ronnie Edwards getting the goals in the second half to ensure they didn’t leave empty-handed after two goals before the interval gave Stevenage a two-goal cushion.
Rovers, who currently sit 17th in League Two have also won three of their last five matches, including a 2-1 win in a first-round reply against Accrington Stanley which went to extra time. Zain Westbrooke and Joe Ironside got the goals to secure their place in the second round after Joe Pritchard gave the hosts an early advantage. The initial match at the Eco-Power Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw, with three goals in 10 minutes near the end forcing a reply in what was an entertaining spectacle.
Doncaster had already pulled off an upset in the Carabao Cup this season, defeating fellow Yorkshire side Hull City 2-1 at the MKM Stadium with George Miller netting a brace, which overturned an Oscar Estupinan goal in the third minute.
Even though they got knocked out in the second round, a Joe Ironside goal before half-time gave Rovers a shock lead against Premier League opposition Everton. Despite that scare, the Toffees completed the comeback late on, Beto scoring on his debut before Amaut Danjuma netted an 88th-minute winner to break the hearts of Rovers fans.
The last five matches between the two sides has seen Doncaster win three times, drawing and losing both once against POSH. In the last match between the teams, Peterborough ran riot and won 4-1 back in May 2021. It’s been a fairly even contest over these games but surprisingly, the home team hasn’t been victorious in any of those fixtures dating back to February 2019. Chances are a cup upset could be on the cards as Rovers will be buoyed by previous scalps in cup competitions this season.
Historically, Peterborough have reached the sixth round of the FA Cup on one occasion, whilst Rovers have reached the fifth round on five occasions, so both teams will be looking to try and eclipse those and really spark some magic that the FA Cup offers.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this week’s action.
