Preview: Burton Albion vs. Cheltenham Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Wade Elliott's side have lost their last two league games while conceding seven times, including four in their last outing against Sheffield Wednesday, so will be looking to find some stability in this crucial fixture.

Match preview

Despite sitting 23rd in the league, recently there have been signs of improvement for Burton Albion with eight points picked up in their last six games.

Their last league fixture was a 1-1 draw against the side bottom of the table, Morecambe, with Davis Keillor-Dunn scoring a fifth league goal of the season.

The form of Victor Adeboyejo has contributed to the relative success of Dino Maamria's side, as he has scored four times in their last four fixtures in the league. This included a heroic hat-trick against Forest Green Rovers and an equaliser to earn his team a point against Peterborough United.

A couple of players in the regular starting lineup also appeared in a 4-0 victory in the EFL Trophy against Bradford which further enhanced their position at the top of their group, with fringe players also being given the opportunity to prove themselves.

Burton have conceded 29 goals this season, only MK Dons have let in more, but in their last five games they have been much more stable with six goals conceded which has allowed them to pick up more points.

Three points in this crucial game would leave The Brewers just two points behind their opponents, giving them hope that they can find their way out of the relegation zone and progress up the table.

After a positive start to this month, Cheltenham Town have lost their last two league fixtures in pretty convincing fashion which is not the sort of form they would have wanted heading into a crucial clash at the wrong end of the table.

A 3-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday is not a disaster as they are currently sitting just outside the automatic promotion places, but a 4-1 defeat to Bristol Rovers, conceding four first-half goals is inexcusable and will be concerning for Wade Elliott.

The next three fixtures for Cheltenham are really important as they are facing three sides in close proximity to them in the table - Burton, who are 23rd, followed by bottom side Morecambe and 22nd-placed MK Dons.

If they cannot pick up their form in these matches, it is hard to see where their next points will come from and could put manager Wade Elliott under significant pressure, as it would seem as if the team have gone backwards since last season.

The absence of Alfie May has not helped, but with him set to be out for an extended period, others will need to step forward to help the team in attack. Dan Nlundulu is the only player apart from May who has scored more than one goal this season so far.

Burton Albion League One form:

W

L

W

L

D

D

Burton Albion form (all competitions):

L

W

L

D

D

W

Cheltenham Town League One form:

W

L

W

W

L

L

Cheltenham Town form (all competitions):

W

W

W

L

L

L

Team News

After being substituted in the first half against Morecambe, Sam Winnall is "touch and go" for the weekend according to Maamria, with Joe Powell the most likely candidate to replace him.

Mustapha Carayol and Bobby Kamwa, who came on as substitutes in the last league game, are also doubts for this fixture, so apart from Winnall, the lineup will most likely be unchanged for this match.

For Cheltenham, Will Ferry missed the last league match and also did not feature in the EFL Trophy game on Tuesday so remains a doubt for this fixture.

Forward George Lloyd was also absent for the last league game but did start in the 2-1 loss against West Ham United Under-21s in midweek, so will be an available option for Wade Elliott.

After the 5-3-2 and the 3-4-3 failed to give the team any structure offensively or defensively in their last two fixtures, Cheltenham may revert back to the more successful 3-4-1-2 for this game.

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:

Garratt; Hamer, Mariappa, Hughes, Brayford; Oshilaja, Taylor, Keillor-Dunn, Powell, Smith; Adeboyejo

Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:

Southwood; Freestone, Taylor, Long; Williams, Perry, Sercombe, Jackson, Broom; Norton, Nlundulu

We say: Burton Albion 2-0 Cheltenham Town

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