Preview: Bristol Rovers vs. Burton Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

With a draw against Ipswich in their most recent outing, Bristol Rovers have given themselves a performance to build on, while Burton agonisingly conceded in the dying moments of the match in a 1-0 loss against Portsmouth in their last match.

Match preview

Heading into this clash in cataclysmic form, Joey Barton will be searching for a winning formula for his side, as they have found themselves without a win in six matches, sending them spiralling into 14th in the League One table.

However, while they were not victorious in their previous affair, a point and a clean sheet against a fourth-placed Ipswich side may give Bristol Rovers the much-needed confidence to rediscover their previous form.

Bristol Rovers' main asset this season has been their potency in front of goal, as they have the joint eighth-best record in the division, having scored 43 times this season.

However, Barton's side are currently in the predicament they have found themselves in due to the lack of creativity in forward areas, as they are without a goal in their previous three matches and have only scored once in their last six games.

A downturn in form for star man Aaron Collins has been a major factor in Bristol Rovers' dip in form, as the forward's output levels have slowed down in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Burton will turn up to this fixture in good spirits as they have been in relatively good form recently, which has seen them three points clear of the relegation zone in 19th position.

However, their three-game win streak came to a halt in a 1-0 defeat against Portsmouth on Tuesday evening, as a dramatic last-minute stoppage time winner from Dane Scarlett meant that Burton ended the affair empty-handed.

Albeit, this is a result that Dino Maamria can take the positives from, as his side have gained a more solid underbelly in their more recent fixtures.

This is because Burton have seriously struggled defensively this season, as they have the second-worst defensive record in League One, with only rock-bottom Forest Green having a worse record.

The loss of Terry Taylor will be a seismic injury blow to Burton, as the midfielder has been key to creating chances this season for his side, having made a total of eight big chances this season.

Bristol Rovers League One form:

W

L

L

L

L

D

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

L

L

L

L

L

D

Burton Albion League One form:

L

L

W

W

W

L

Burton Albion form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

W

L

Team News

After a strong performance against Ipswich midweek, Joey Barton is not expected to make any changes to the starting XI.

Ellery Balcombe is set to keep his place in the side after his heroics against Ipswich, as the 23-year-old put in a man-of-the-match performance, making seven saves for his side.

Ryan Loft will be unavailable for this matchup, as he is currently serving a three-match ban for the red card he received against Lincoln City.

There are no fresh injury concerns for Dino Maamria to worry about for this upcoming clash, but he is expected to make two changes to his side that started in the defeat against Portsmouth.

Chris McCann is set to come back into the side after not featuring against Portsmouth and will replace Conor Shaughnessy in the midfield.

After starting against Portsmouth, Joe Powell is set to be dropped with Mark Helm expected to replace him and partner Josh Walker in an attacking role behind Dale Taylor.

Key midfielder Terry Taylor will miss out on this matchup after picking up an injury in the victory over Fleetwood Town.

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Balcombe; Gibbons, Quansah, Connolly, Gordon; Evans, Ward, Bogarde; Anderson, Collins, Sinclair

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:

MacGillivray; Brayford, Hughes, Moon; Hamer, McCann, Oshilaja, Ashworth; Helm, Walker; Taylor

We say: Bristol Rovers 2-0 Burton Albion

We believe that Bristol Rovers will turn around the slump of form that they are currently in and will rediscover their scoring touch in this match.

Burton will cause a threat to Bristol Rovers' defence through set-piece situations, but will eventually be beaten by their opponents' quality in forward areas.

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