Leeds should have Jermaine Beckford back in the squad for tomorrow’s vital game against Peterborough United.

Simon Grayson told the official site "Jermaine has trained with us now for a week and, all being well, he will be in contention on Saturday. He is our leading goalscorer and if it hadn't have been for the little problems he's had with his hamstring he would probably be the leading goalscorer in this league. Hopefully now he can kick on from here and do what we know he does best."

A further boost is that Snodgrass has shaken off the effects of a knock he sustained during training just before the game at Brighton, and he should also be back in the squad. But Frazer Richardson will be out, as he had to go for a scan on his thigh injury, so Hughes is likely to fill in as an emergency right back once again. 

Both managers have been showing due respect to the opposition, but without forgetting to talk up the chances of their own teams.

Simon Grayson told BBC Radio Leeds "I watched them against West Brom in the Cup last week and they're a good team. They've obviously got the momentum going from the promotion but they've also got some exciting footballers and major threats in the right positions."

Last Saturday Leeds kept their first clean sheet since the middle ages, but tomorrow the defence will face sterner opposition in the shape of Peterborugh’s prolific strike force of McLean and Mackail-Smith. This pair have scored a total of 28 goals between them this season and Simon Grayson said "The two lads up front are a handful, they've shown that they do score goals. But we won't treat them any differently to how we treated Brighton and we've got a clean sheet behind us now. Peterborough have got good players, exciting footballers and some major threats, and you have to give them respect because of the position they're in. But it'll come down to how we apply ourselves and the attitude we show."

Meanwhile Darren Ferguson was telling ‘Peterborough Today’ "Simon has improved the defence and Dickinson in particular is a good player who we watched on several occasions. They have also changed their shape since the change of manager and there is no doubt that they have individual players who could hurt us. But we have players who can hurt them as well and we go there full of confidence. I am sure they will finish in the top six because they are the sort of club capable of stringing some good results together, but if we win tomorrow they will find it very hard to catch us."

After a dodgy start (losing three of their first four games), Peterborough have climbed the table thanks to a run when they lost only one more game in the last 21, and they now sit proudly in third place. One of those games was of course our 2-0 defeat at London Road in October, which was the first of the run of poor results that was to cost Gary Mc.Allister his job two months later. The only blemish in their recent form game with their 4-0 defeat away to leaders Leicester, but Ferguson said: "The Leicester game was a one-off. What happened there could have happened anywhere but, mark my words, it won't happen again."

They go into the game with no more injury problems, as winger Chris Whelpdale and left-back Charlie Lee have shrugged off knocks they picked up in Tuesday's goalless draw with MK Dons. But Lee is likely to have to play at left-back, as Tom Williams is out with a knee problem. 

Obviously Peterborough are one of the teams Leeds will have to catch up with if we are to get into the top two, yet we currently trail them by eight points. But I’m going for a narrow victory for the new improved Leeds United. 

Photo: Action Images

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