Nigel Clough expects Mansfield Town to face a tough defensive test at Peterborough United on Boxing Day

Posh have had a mixed season so far as they go through a season of transition following the departure of a host of big name players.

But Clough believes that United, the second highest scorers in the division, are a far more dangerous side than their 16th place in the table suggests.

“When you had such a good season as they did last season and then you sell major players like they have, it is not a surprise to be inconsistent.

“They brought in millions in the summer and have this model, it is almost a cycle every couple of seasons. The young players they have brought in will be benefiting from the time on the pitch.

“I would really fancy them, if not for this season then next season. When they click I think they are as exciting and as dangerous as any team in the league.

“We have got to really concentrate on Boxing Day, three or four passes and they can be through you.

“They keep passing and keep playing and looking to get in with their pace. Considering the business they did in the summer they are doing extremely well.”

Stags go into the game having snapped a seven game winless run following a 1-0 victory over Rotherham United at the weekend.

But Clough is expecting a different type of challenge as they look to stifle the free-flowing football of Posh.

“We have to defend as well as we did on Saturday,” he added. “It will be a different sort of challenge.

“Saturday was about defending free-kicks and physicality. Peterborough try and play through you and use their pace of the front three.

“(Kwame) Poku is out, which is good for us. On his day Ricky Jade-Jones is as good as there is in the league.

“We tried to play at Barnsley on the first day and we have tried to do that all season. I want us to continue in that vein and do our stuff

“The quality of the teams we are playing is high in the next four games, it is a tough run, but the one thing we have learned in the first 19 games is that we can compete if we do everything well and everyone does their job.”