Wrexham go head-to-head with Peterborough United in a League One meeting in Wales later today.
The Red Dragons tasted defeat in their opening encounter of 2025, losing 2-1 to Barnsley at Oakwell.
Wrexham will be much more confident of picking up a win in their clash with Peterborough United this weekend, however.
Phil Parkinson has managed to guide the Welsh outfit to a 19-game unbeaten run at the Racecourse Ground, last losing all the way back in March 2024.
Their upcoming opponents, on paper at least, present a much easier test than the play-off chasing Barnsley did.
The Posh are down in 18th place and have been very inconsistent all the way through 2024/25 so far.
It won’t be a complete walk in the park, however, especially if one Wrexham problem rears its head again on Saturday.
Phil Parkinson must consider dropping Max Cleworth vs Peterborough United
Wrexham still have one of the best defensive records in League One going into the latest round of games.
However, they have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five fixtures in the division – a problem they really can’t afford to have given their striker’s lack of goals.
After Barnsley, Wrexham’s biggest weakness was highlighted, with it revealed that four goals out of the last five they have conceded have now come down the right of their backline.
It’s a tricky situation for Parkinson to manage given how effective that flank has been for Wrexham going forward this season.
However, with clean sheets now alluding them and the same problem emerging in each game, he should consider dropping Max Cleworth – who starts on the right of the back three – against Peterborough.
Cleworth had 85 touches, as per Sofascore, and scored in the defeat to Barnsley – his sixth goal of 2024/25 – but it’s clear something needs to change if the Red Dragons are to stop leaking goals down their right.
With Lewis Brunt injured, summer signing Dan Scarr is the most likely option to replace the 22-year-old when the teamsheet is revealed at 2pm today.
Phil Parkinson could make another big Wrexham call vs Peterborough
It’s not just at the back where Parkinson may shock fans by making a big change on January 4th, however.
Wrexham’s strikers have been well off their best this term, with concerning Paul Mullin data summing up his decline.
Meanwhile, his long-time attacking partner Ollie Palmer was poor against Barnsley and now has just three goals in League One this season.
In turn, super-sub Steven Fletcher could come into the starting lineup for the clash even though he probably can’t complete the full 90 minutes.