Two sides with contrasting ambitions this season will face off at Pirelli Stadium when Burton Albion take on Blackpool in League One on Boxing Day.
The hosts are currently in 19th place in the league standings with 21 points after 23 matches, while the visitors are in eighth place with 36 points over the same period.
Match preview
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Burton will be playing the first of two games at the Pirelli Stadium before the New Year, starting with this one before facing off against Shrewsbury on December 29.
The Brewers got the 2023-24 League One campaign started with an away match against this opponent and will be looking to avenge the 2-0 defeat they were handed that day.
However, based on their current form in the league, that may prove to be a challenge as they head into this match, having failed to win any of their last eight games dating back to October 21.
The hosts played out a 1-1 draw away to Charlton Athletic over the weekend, which snapped up a five-match losing streak, during which time Dino Maamria was sacked as Brewers manager.
With Gary Mills now filling in as the caretaker manager, Burton will be hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive winless match at home, which includes back-to-back losses ahead of this fixture.
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Meanwhile, after being relegated from the Championship last season, Blackpool made a positive start to life in League One, were unbeaten after their first four games, and had not conceded a single goal in that time.
However, they found themselves slipping in the league standings leading up to the November international break, when they went on a run of three games without a win, losing to Peterborough United and Bolton Wanderers while drawing away to Fleetwood Town.
Since then, the Seasiders have shown improvement, winning four of their last six, including a very good 3-1 victory over Bristol Rovers at the weekend.
Team captain Ollie Norburn scored his first goal for the club in that match with a superb long-range strike to open the scoring, while Jake Beesley and Jordan Rhodes found the target in the second half to secure the points.
That result took The tangerines to 36 points, four points behind Stevenage, who are the final side in the promotion playoff spots, and two behind seventh-placed Barnsley, though the latter does have two games in the bank.
Team News
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Burton will be without the services of their versatile defender Tom Hamer, who is a long-term injury absentee and should only return to action well into the New Year.
Steve Seddon returned to the starting lineup last week after sitting out the match against his parent club a week earlier and should keep his place on the left flank.
Mason Bennett was unable to mark his return to the starting 11 with a goal last week and could make way for Bobby Kamwa in this one.
The visitors will remain without strikers Kylian Kouassi and Shayne Lavery for this match, with both players only expected to return in the New Year from their respective injuries.
Rhodes shook off a knock to start the last match and got on the scoresheet, which should see him retain his place in the frontline alongside Beesley and Brest loanee Karamoko Dembele.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Hughes, Brayford, Sweeney; Caprice, Carayol, Powell, Seddon; Oshilaja; Kamwa, Lubala
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Pennington, Connolly, Husband; Hamilton, Norburn, Carey, Lyons, Dembele; Rhodes, Beesley
We say: Burton Albion 1-1 Blackpool
While Burton are coming into this match off the back of two consecutive home defeats, it is worth noting that those were against Stevenage and Portsmouth, who are both in the top six this season. Barring those results, the Brewers have been decent at home, and we fancy them taking a share of the spoils in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
