diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/PersistentCollection.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/PersistentCollection.php
index 9eee0c06c..90890e906 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/PersistentCollection.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/PersistentCollection.php
@@ -869,8 +869,14 @@ final class PersistentCollection implements Collection, Selectable
             return $this->coll->matching($criteria);
         }
 
-        if ($this->association['type'] !== ClassMetadata::ONE_TO_MANY) {
-            throw new \RuntimeException("Matching Criteria on PersistentCollection only works on OneToMany associations at the moment.");
+        if ($this->association['type'] !== ClassMetadata::ONE_TO_MANY
+            && $this->association['type'] !== ClassMetadata::MANY_TO_MANY) {
+            throw new \RuntimeException("Matching Criteria on PersistentCollection only works on OneToMany and ManyToMany associations at the moment.");
+        }
+
+        if ($this->association['type'] === ClassMetadata::MANY_TO_MANY) {
+            $persister = $this->em->getUnitOfWork()->getCollectionPersister($this->association);
+            return new ArrayCollection($persister->loadCriteria($this, $this->owner, $criteria));
         }
 
         $builder         = Criteria::expr();
diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/ManyToManyPersister.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/ManyToManyPersister.php
index a032982da..6d818f6bd 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/ManyToManyPersister.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/ManyToManyPersister.php
@@ -19,8 +19,10 @@
 
 namespace Doctrine\ORM\Persisters;
 
+use Doctrine\Common\Collections\Criteria;
 use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\ClassMetadata;
 use Doctrine\ORM\PersistentCollection;
+use Doctrine\ORM\Query;
 use Doctrine\ORM\UnitOfWork;
 
 /**
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
         }
 
         return 'DELETE FROM ' . $tableName
-             . ' WHERE ' . implode(' = ? AND ', $columns) . ' = ?';
+        . ' WHERE ' . implode(' = ? AND ', $columns) . ' = ?';
     }
 
     /**
@@ -102,7 +104,7 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
         }
 
         return 'INSERT INTO ' . $joinTable . ' (' . implode(', ', $columns) . ')'
-             . ' VALUES (' . implode(', ', array_fill(0, count($columns), '?')) . ')';
+        . ' VALUES (' . implode(', ', array_fill(0, count($columns), '?')) . ')';
     }
 
     /**
@@ -178,7 +180,7 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
         }
 
         return 'DELETE FROM ' . $joinTable
-             . ' WHERE ' . implode(' = ? AND ', $columns) . ' = ?';
+        . ' WHERE ' . implode(' = ? AND ', $columns) . ' = ?';
     }
 
     /**
@@ -257,7 +259,11 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
     }
 
     /**
-     * {@inheritdoc}
+     * @param \Doctrine\ORM\PersistentCollection $coll
+     * @param int                                $offset
+     * @param int|null                           $length
+     *
+     * @return array
      */
     public function slice(PersistentCollection $coll, $offset, $length = null)
     {
@@ -276,7 +282,10 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
     }
 
     /**
-     * {@inheritdoc}
+     * @param \Doctrine\ORM\PersistentCollection $coll
+     * @param object                             $element
+     *
+     * @return boolean
      */
     public function contains(PersistentCollection $coll, $element)
     {
@@ -302,7 +311,10 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
     }
 
     /**
-     * {@inheritdoc}
+     * @param \Doctrine\ORM\PersistentCollection $coll
+     * @param object                             $element
+     *
+     * @return boolean
      */
     public function removeElement(PersistentCollection $coll, $element)
     {
@@ -485,29 +497,12 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
             return array('', '');
         }
 
-        $conditions  = array();
-        $association = $mapping;
-
-        if ( ! $mapping['isOwningSide']) {
-            $class       = $this->em->getClassMetadata($mapping['targetEntity']);
-            $association = $class->associationMappings[$mapping['mappedBy']];
-        }
-
         // A join is needed if there is filtering on the target entity
-        $tableName   = $this->quoteStrategy->getTableName($rootClass, $this->platform);
-        $joinSql     = ' JOIN ' . $tableName . ' te' . ' ON';
-        $joinColumns = $mapping['isOwningSide']
-            ? $association['joinTable']['inverseJoinColumns']
-            : $association['joinTable']['joinColumns'];
+        $tableName    = $this->quoteStrategy->getTableName($rootClass, $this->platform);
+        $joinSql      = ' JOIN ' . $tableName . ' te' . ' ON';
+        $onConditions = $this->getOnConditionSQL($mapping);
 
-        foreach ($joinColumns as $joinColumn) {
-            $joinColumnName = $this->quoteStrategy->getJoinColumnName($joinColumn, $targetClass, $this->platform);
-            $refColumnName  = $this->quoteStrategy->getReferencedJoinColumnName($joinColumn, $targetClass, $this->platform);
-
-            $conditions[] = ' t.' . $joinColumnName . ' = ' . 'te.' . $refColumnName;
-        }
-
-        $joinSql .= implode(' AND ', $conditions);
+        $joinSql .= implode(' AND ', $onConditions);
 
         return array($joinSql, $filterSql);
     }
@@ -533,4 +528,101 @@ class ManyToManyPersister extends AbstractCollectionPersister
         $sql = implode(' AND ', $filterClauses);
         return $sql ? "(" . $sql . ")" : "";
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate ON condition
+     *
+     * @param  array $mapping
+     * @return array
+     */
+    protected function getOnConditionSQL($mapping)
+    {
+        $association = $mapping;
+
+        if ( ! $mapping['isOwningSide']) {
+            $class       = $this->em->getClassMetadata($mapping['targetEntity']);
+            $association = $class->associationMappings[$mapping['mappedBy']];
+        }
+
+        $targetClass = $this->em->getClassMetadata($mapping['targetEntity']);
+
+        $joinColumns = $mapping['isOwningSide']
+            ? $association['joinTable']['inverseJoinColumns']
+            : $association['joinTable']['joinColumns'];
+
+        $conditions = array();
+
+        foreach ($joinColumns as $joinColumn) {
+            $joinColumnName = $this->quoteStrategy->getJoinColumnName($joinColumn, $targetClass, $this->platform);
+            $refColumnName  = $this->quoteStrategy->getReferencedJoinColumnName($joinColumn, $targetClass, $this->platform);
+
+            $conditions[] = ' t.' . $joinColumnName . ' = ' . 'te.' . $refColumnName;
+        }
+
+        return $conditions;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Loads Entities matching the given Criteria object.
+     *
+     * @param PersistentCollection                  $coll
+     * @param object                                $owner
+     * @param \Doctrine\Common\Collections\Criteria $criteria
+     * @return array
+     */
+    public function loadCriteria(PersistentCollection $coll, $owner, Criteria $criteria)
+    {
+        list($quotedJoinTable, $whereClauses, $params) = $this->getJoinTableRestrictions($coll, $owner, true);
+
+        $parameters = $this->expandCriteriaParameters($criteria);
+
+        foreach ($parameters as $parameter) {
+            list($name, $value) = $parameter;
+            $whereClauses[] = sprintf("te.%s = ?", $name);
+            $params[]       = $value;
+        }
+
+        $mapping      = $coll->getMapping();
+        $targetClass  = $this->em->getClassMetadata($mapping['targetEntity']);
+        $tableName    = $this->quoteStrategy->getTableName($targetClass, $this->platform);
+        $onConditions = $this->getOnConditionSQL($mapping);
+
+        $sql  = 'SELECT * FROM ' . $tableName . ' te'
+            . ' JOIN ' . $quotedJoinTable  . ' ON'
+            . implode(' AND ', $onConditions)
+            . ' WHERE ' . implode(' AND ', $whereClauses);
+
+        $stmt     = $this->conn->executeQuery($sql, $params);
+        $hydrator = $this->em->newHydrator(Query::HYDRATE_ARRAY);
+
+        $rsm  = new Query\ResultSetMapping();
+        $rsm->addEntityResult($mapping['targetEntity'], 'r');
+
+        return $hydrator->hydrateAll($stmt, $rsm);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Expands Criteria Parameters by walking the expressions and grabbing all
+     * parameters and types from it.
+     *
+     * @param \Doctrine\Common\Collections\Criteria $criteria
+     *
+     * @return array(array(), array())
+     */
+    private function expandCriteriaParameters(Criteria $criteria)
+    {
+        $expression = $criteria->getWhereExpression();
+
+        if ($expression === null) {
+            return array(array(), array());
+        }
+
+        $valueVisitor = new SqlValueVisitor();
+
+        $valueVisitor->dispatch($expression);
+
+        list($values, $types) = $valueVisitor->getParamsAndTypes();
+
+        return $types;
+    }
 }