Burton Albion will have their eyes on chasing an unlikely top-half finish in League One when they host Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday evening.

The visitors, meanwhile, require all three points in order to be certain of remaining inside the playoff spots.

Match preview

Having appeared in serious danger of being relegated to the fourth tier for large parts of this season, nine wins from their last 18 league matches has given Burton an outside chance of finishing in the top half of the table.

Dino Maamria has performed an excellent job in his first managerial role since departing Oldham Athletic in July 2020, clearly putting aside any personal complications he may have had when replacing the man he previously served as assistant to in the form of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

The latest of the Brewers' growing number of victories came against automatic promotion contenders Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, with the Owls put to the sword by club captain John Brayford's opener and Mark Helm's brace during an epic first half for the hosts.

With a game or two on hand on nearly all of the sides above them in the table, a seven-point deficit behind the top half is certainly not unachievable for a team that has been winning half of their matches across the aforementioned run of games.

Bolton, meanwhile, secured a second successive 1-0 away from home to pile the misery on relegation-threatened Oxford United on Saturday.

Dion Charles's seventh-minute strike proved to be the difference between the two sides, with Bolton clinging on for dear life thereafter, as the hosts generated 24 shots and seven corners in stark contrast to Bolton's tally of four and zero respectively.

However, seven saves from Bolton's goalkeeper James Trafford - who was also booked for time-wasting to add to his tremendous display of shot-stopping - ensured that the Trotters remain ahead of their playoff rivals Peterborough United and Derby County in fifth position.

Given that Ian Evatt's side - who appear to have been significantly boosted by their excellent 4-0 win against automatic promotion contenders Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Trophy final - have a game in hand on both of those sides as well as three consecutive home games on the horizon, a victory in Burton on Tuesday would signal a huge step towards reaching the playoffs.

Team News

Maamria only made one substitution during his side's 3-2 win against Sheff Wed on Saturday, suggesting that the 49-year-old has full belief in his starting XI at this present moment.

As such, providing he has no fitness concerns given the short turnaround between fixtures, he is unlikely to make any changes on Tuesday.

Bolton, meanwhile, have more options to shake things up, particularly having lacked their usual offensive fluidity despite beating Oxford at the weekend.

Elias Kachunga is likely to come into the visitors' starting XI after only appearing from the bench at Kassam Stadium, while Cameron Jerome may be hoping to provide fresh legs in attack.

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
MacGillivray; Shaughnessy, Hughes, Moon; Brayford, Oshilaja, Powell, Ashworth; Helm, Carayol; Taylor

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Jones, Williams, Johnston; Bradley, Sheehan, Dempsey, John; Kachunga; Charles, Nlundulu

We say: Burton Albion 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Burton have hugely improved as the season has worn on, and we expect Maamria's side to prove extremly difficult to beat once again on Tuesday.

With Bolton having three consecutive home fixtures to come after this trip to the Midlands, the visitors may be more than content with getting out of the Pirelli Stadium with a point.


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