Leicester City aiming to pile on misery for winless Peterborough
Darren Ferguson's side have failed to win in six Championship matches to date with three defeats and three draws, the latest being Saturday's 1-1 stalemate at QPR.
And a seventh game without victory would equal the worst start in the club's Football League history.
That is why Ferguson is calling on his players to show a nastier side to their game.
He said: "We keep saying it, but we do need to get a bit nastier, not in terms of kicking the opposition, more in showing a bit more ruthlessness."
Despite Posh's faltering start, City boss Nigel Pearson is expecting another tough test against a side who have enjoyed back-to-back promotions over the past two seasons.
"We have had three wins on the bounce at home and, obviously, we want to carry that on," said Pearson, who is expected to name an unchanged side following Saturday's 2-1 victory against Blackpool.
"It is a tight league and they are another side that did particularly well last year, and they will be wanting to come here and get something out of the game.
"For them to get three promotions on the bounce is going to be exceptionally hard, but I am sure Darren will be setting very high standards there.
"Bearing that in mind, it is going to be a tough game. Regardless of what they have done so far, it will be a difficult game."
Posh were runners-up behind City last season and secured an impressive 2-0 win over Pearson's side at London Road back in March.
But the clash at the Walkers Stadium was an entirely different affair, with City romping to a 4-0 success in one of their best showings of the season.
Striker Craig Mackail-Smith, a reported target for City in the summer, says Leicester's strong start to the campaign gives him confidence that Posh will soon be climbing the table.
Mackail-Smith reckons there was nothing to choose between the clubs last season when they battled it out for the League One title, and he insists that is still the case even though the Foxes hold an eight-point and 15-place advantage after just six matches.
He said: "Leicester have started well, but I'm not surprised about that because they have a quality, experienced side.
"We had a great battle with them for the title in the second-half of last season, and when we beat them at our place it looked like we had a great chance of finishing on top.
"It wasn't to be and you have to say that over 46 matches they deserved to win it, although we weren't that far behind them.
"The fact that they are going so well tells me that we should also be good enough to reach the top half of the table.
"We had two vastly different matches against them last season. They played superbly at their place and we had a real off day, but we were outstanding at London Road and deserved the win.
"Obviously, I hope we repeat the second performance rather than the first one. If we do that we will have a great chance of getting that crucial first win."
Mackail-Smith failed to score against Leicester last season. He struck the bar at the Walkers Stadium and created Chris Whelpdale's stunning goal at London Road, but he will forego a goal for three much-needed points.
Mackail-Smith added: "I'm getting into scoring positions often enough, but I keep having goals disallowed, which sums up the way it's gone for us lately.
"Luck has certainly deserted us so far this season, but tonight would be the perfect time to turn things around. Leicester is a great stadium and there's bound to be a terrific local derby atmosphere.
"We let the fans down last season by not performing at all so we need to put that right for a start."
Full-back Charlie Lee, who missed the trip to QPR after twisting an ankle in training, is expected to miss tonight's game. Posh are still assessing the extent of the injury but he is rated very doubtful.
Nigel Pearson
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