Both aiming to bounce back from successive defeats at the start of the 2023-24 season, Burton Albion and Derby County square off in a League One affair on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts were dumped out of the EFL Cup by Leicester City in midweek, while the Rams also fell at the first hurdle of the competition to Blackpool.
Match preview
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An underwhelming pre-season period was a sign of things to come for Burton Albion, who failed to win any of their final five summer friendlies and succumbed to a Shayne Lavery brace in their opening League One affair with Blackpool last weekend.
Dino Maamria's men were down-and-out by the 25-minute mark against the Tangerines, and any hopes of redemption in the EFL Cup against Leicester City were quickly dashed too, as Kelechi Iheanacho needed just six minutes to break the deadlock before doubling his tally in another 2-0 beating for Burton.
With one game gone in the 2023-24 campaign, Burton Albion's newly-assembled squad are hovering just above the dotted line in 20th place - saved by goal difference for the time being - and a spate of fresh injuries is hardly ideal for Maamria either.
However, the hosts can at least take inspiration from their eye-catching League One form at Pirelli Stadium towards the back end of last season, as they avoided defeat in each of their final five matches on familiar territory and lost just two of their final 17 games in front of the home crowd.
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Burton and Derby can now empathise when it comes to 2-0 defeats to Blackpool, as a few days on from putting Maamria's men to the sword in League One, the Tangerines dumped Paul Warne's men out of the EFL Cup by the same scoreline.
Jake Beesley followed in Lavery's footsteps with a brace of his own to send the Rams packing, which came only 72 hours after Wigan Athletic had come away from Pride Park with a 2-1 win on the opening weekend of the League One campaign thanks to a Charlie Wyke double.
Craig Forsyth had drawn Derby level last Saturday, but his effort was ultimately in vain, and the Rams begin the second gameweek level with Burton on zero points but six places higher in 14th, such is the nature of the fledgling rankings.
On a slightly brighter note, Derby only suffered one defeat from their final four away games in the 2022-23 League One season - which came against Championship-bound Sheffield Wednesday - but Warne willingly apologised to Rams fans for his side's "undercooked" display in the cup on Tuesday.
Furthermore, Derby only won one of their four clashes with Burton Albion during their brief stint in the Championship together, but the Rams won the most recent showdown 1-0 at Pride Park in April, which came after a 1-1 December draw on Burton's turf.
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Team News
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As mentioned, Burton Albion's treatment room has welcomed a plethora of new faces since the campaign kicked off, as all of Sam Hughes (ankle), Tom Hamer (toe) and Jasper Moon (dead leg) missed the loss to Leicester with issues sustained against Blackpool.
Former Derby man Mason Bennett is also a doubt, while Cole Stockton and Rekeem Harper were both forced off in the EFL Cup, and the former's apparent muscular problem may render him unavailable for this one.
While further signings have not been ruled out, Maamria will likely call upon Josh Gordon and Kgaogelo Chauke to fill the voids for the time being.
In contrast, Derby came through their EFL Cup loss to Blackpool without any fresh concerns to worry about, but changes will certainly be afoot in the wake of that abysmal showing.
Kane Wilson, Sonny Bradley and skipper Conor Hourihane were all withdrawn during the break, so Forsyth and Joe Ward in particular should feel confident about their chances of coming back into the wide areas.
Calf injuries for Louie Sibley and Tom Barkhuizen will likely rule the duo out again, while Joe Wildsmith ought to return for recent debutant Josh Vickers in between the sticks.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Brayford, Sweeney, Oshilaja; Caprice, Powell, Chauke, Seddon; Helm, Kamwa; Gordon
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Nelson, Cashin, Bradley; Wilson, Bird, Thompson, Smith, Forsyth; Mendez-Laing, Collins
We say: Burton Albion 0-1 Derby County
As neither crop of players are brimming with confidence right now, do not expect a classic at the Pirelli Stadium, where further injuries to Burton's already-depleted squad may prove crucial.
In contrast, Derby are blessed with a few more options for change in the forward areas, and despite Burton's respectable stretch of home form, Warne's side can shut up shop after drawing first blood to belatedly get off the mark.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
