Peterborough United manager Luke Williams and midfielder Liam Kelly face a return to former club Milton Keynes Dons this Saturday, with the hosts battling a string of injuries. The Posh, currently 20th in League One with four points from five games, travel to a Stadium:MK side sitting one place above them in 19th.

Williams spent nearly two years as assistant manager at Milton Keynes, joining Russell Martin in November 2019 and leaving for Swansea City in the summer of 2021. Together they guided the club to a 19th-place finish in their first season and improved to 13th the following year. "I know the club well, I enjoyed my time working there very much," Williams told reporters. "They are going really well, they got a promotion and have been really ambitious in the transfer market again."

He also praised chairman Pete Winkleman, describing him as one of the most brilliant people he has ever met. Meanwhile, Kelly, who was named Peterborough's Player of the Season last year in League Two, joined the club last month and will be making his first return since his summer move.

Injury doubts for the hosts

Milton Keynes manager Paul Warne confirmed several players are racing to be fit for the weekend. "Cohen Bramall damaged his ankle, Curtis Nelson damaged his groin, Charlie Goode is coming back from a foot injury, Aaron Collins hurt his ankle, so they’re all waiting to see if we can get them back in time for Saturday," Warne said. Goode missed the recent match with Wycombe due to that foot problem.

League context

This fixture pits two sides searching for consistency near the bottom of the early table. Milton Keynes have drawn four and lost one of their five league games, still waiting for a first win. Peterborough's form reads two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five, a sequence of LDLWW. Their most recent result was a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, with Ben Woods scoring their goal.

The rivalry between the two clubs has grown fierce over the years, adding extra edge to Williams's and Kelly's returns. Peterborough will be looking to build on their 5-1 away win at Watford from late August.

The match kicks off at Stadium:MK on Saturday, 12 September.