Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson is confident his team can cause an upset against Birmingham City in the EFL Trophy final.
The two teams will meet for the second time this week on Sunday, five days after Birmingham secured promotion to the Championship at the Weston Homes Stadium. Posh put in an admirable display against a team that have been by far the best in League One this season, but the Blues emerged with a 2-1 victory.
It has been an underwhelming campaign for Peterborough. After back-to-back top six finishes, they briefly flirted with relegation before pulling away with a run of good form throughout February and March.
They now have the opportunity to add a little glitter to their season by winning the EFL Trophy for the second successive year, after beating Wycombe Wanderers in the final a year ago.
Ferguson Nonplussed Over Birmingham Dominance
Birmingham’s exploits this season have been well documented. With just three defeats, they need just eight points from their remaining six games to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers’ third tier record of 103 points.
The Blues could add more silverware to their cabinet on Sunday, but Ferguson is convinced his team have enough about them to pull off an upset. Speaking to The Peterborough Telegraph, he said:
“There is no question Birmingham are beatable, and we are a team that has the tools to achieve it. We have to respect their record and the fact they have an outstanding squad, but we do have attributes that can cause any League One team a problem.
“Few will expect us to win, but as long as we have belief we have a chance. We have competed well against them twice and we should take belief from the way we played against them on Tuesday. If we don’t believe we can win we may as well stay in Peterborough.
“We are aware of our own deficiencies, but we have pace and we have enough quality going forward to unsettle any team on a big pitch like Wembley. We will need at least an 8/10 performance to have a chance, but we can get to that level.”
Writer’s View
Few give Peterborough a chance on Sunday but they aren’t there to just make up the numbers. They have given Birmingham two good games this season and neutrals will be hoping for more of the same. It’ll be a tall task and they are unlikely to have a lot of the ball, but they must take their chances when they have them.
