Just one win since late October and suddenly Burton Albion's season is beginning to crumble beneath their feet. The midlands outfit welcome fellow struggling side Rochdale who reside in 18th position in the table, two below Albion. 

The Brewers were tipped as playoff contenders at the beginning of the season, but their inconsistent form and lack of wins means they find themselves languishing in mid-table obscurity. 

Rochdale are battling against another season near the bottom of Sky Bet League One. The Dale finished in 16th position last season, and will aim to better that this time around.

  • Team News:

Burton Albion:

The Brewers will be without three regular starters for the game against The Dale. Both Stephen Quinn and John-Joe O'Toole will miss the game through suspension. O'Toole is serving a six-match ban for a build-up of bookings and abuse towards an official. On-loan Everton forward Nathan Broadhead is unavailable over the Christmas period as he continues his recovery from a hamstring problem. 

Rochdale:

Ian Henderson went off injured in the side's FA Cup 2nd round replay vs Boston United on Monday, and is a possible doubt for the game. The dangerous forward has nine goals already this season in the league, and is vital to Rochdale's attacking threat. Stephen Dooley made his return in the match against Boston and is in contention for a return to the league squad.

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  • Managers thoughts:

Speaking to iFollowBrewers, Brewers manager Nigel Clough made his thoughts clear on how unpredictable the league can be, he said:

"Form in League one doesn't seem to mean too much at times. But the next five games are hugely important to us, as a team and as a club.

“The fact that any team in League One can beat any other team applies more to Rochdale than anyone else. They are capable of winning 5-0, or losing 5-0. They have some very good League One players who can hurt you. We will have to play better than we have done the last three games if we want to win.”

Speaking to Rochdale's official website following their 2-1 victory over Boston, manager Brian Barry-Murphy was delighted with the result and the return of a fan favourite:

“We have had loads of different tests this season already – on and off the pitch – in terms of losing players and losing games.

“Stephen Dooley coming back onto the pitch was a huge moment for everybody in the squad and to see him involved in the moment that defined the game was huge for everyone.

“The way he plays the game is the way we want to play – with courage and real personality."

 

  • Previous meetings

Burton Albion boast an impressive record against Rochdale in past clashes. The Brewers have won 7 of the previous 12 meetings between the two sides. However, the most recent encounter was last season, where Albion ran-out 4-0 victors in-front of 2666 supporters at Spotland. A hat-trick from now Portsmouth forward Marcus Harness was one part of a devastating Brewers rout.

Kick off is at 15:00 at the Pirelli Stadium.