Burton Albion will be looking to avoid being cut further adrift in the relegation zone when they host Derby County at the Pirelli Stadium in League One on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors have aims at the other end of the table, currently in seventh place and able to move into the playoff positions with a victory.
Match preview
As we approach the halfway stage of the season, Burton find themselves in 23rd place, five points away from safety in the League One standings, owing to a very poor start.
The Brewers were winless in their first eight league matches, leading to previous manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink resigning at the start of September, leaving the club bottom of the table.
After his departure, the Burton board moved swiftly to appoint Dino Maamria to the vacant post, and the new boss has overseen a slight improvement in form since taking over, securing progression to the FA Cup third round and the EFL Trophy last 16.
While the Tunisian has definitely made the Brewers harder to beat, now undefeated in their last six games in all competitions, the three games in the league during this time have all ended in draws, most recently in an away trip to MK Dons.
Burton looked to be heading towards an important three points against another side struggling in League One, with Victor Adeboyejo opening the scoring just before the 30-minute mark, but Bradley Johnson struck late to ensure the spoils were once again shared.
Having been relegated to the third tier for the first time since 1986 last season, Derby have made a decent, if not spectacular, start to life in their new division.
Liam Rosenior was interim boss at Pride Park until late September, after Wayne Rooney opted to leave the club in the summer, before Paul Warne was brought in from Rotherham United, and the manager is starting to get to grips with the new role.
After a shaky start, winning just two of his opening seven games, Warne is now on a run of just one loss in his last 10 games as manager, with this coming in an EFL Cup game against Liverpool, which his side only lost on penalties.
Similarly to Burton, however, Derby have made a habit of drawing too many games, particularly in League One, having drawn three of their last four matches in the competition.
Recent fixtures have been tough tests, with the Rams travelling to eighth-placed Portsmouth before taking on third-placed Sheffield Wednesday at home, so tying both may not be deemed bad results, but it will be frustrating that both games have finished 0-0.
As such, Warne's side will need to find their shooting boots ahead of Saturday, although they will be hoping to continue their stellar defensive record, with 16 goals conceded being the joint-lowest figure in the league.
Team News
© Reuters
Owing to improved form in recent matches, Maamria is unlikely to make any changes to his Burton side, with no fresh injury concerns to deal with.
Jonny Smith has had a slight groin issue and was only deemed fit enough to be on the bench against MK Dons last weekend, so he may continue to miss out, with wing-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson starting on the left, and Tom Hamer opposite on the right.
Having scored in his last match, Victor Adeboyejo should continue to lead the line in a 3-5-2 system, with Bobby Kamwa partnering the Nigerian in attack.
Curtis Davies and James Chester remain sidelined for Derby County, so Eiran Cashin and Craig Forsyth should continue to feature at centre-back, having both started the last match, keeping a clean sheet.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing could be brought in on the wing, replacing youngster Lewis Dobbin, as he is now fit enough to start after featuring as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday for the final 20 minutes.
David McGoldrick has struck twice in his last four games, and he should once more get the nod in attack, with James Collins the likely choice alongside him, and the likes of Max Bird and Conor Hourihane providing service from the midfield.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Garratt; Brayford, Hughes, Ndaba; Hamer, Onyango, Taylor, Oshilaja, Borthwick-Jackson; Kamwa, Adeboyejo
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Smith, Cashin, Forsyth, Sibley; Mendez-Laing, Bird, Hourihane, Barkhuizen; McGoldrick, Collins
We say: Burton Albion 1-1 Derby County
Both teams have drawn a lot of their recent games, so we expect this one to be no different, despite the disparity in the league standings. Burton have shown signs of improvement under Maamria, and managed to get a point at home against first-placed Plymouth Argyle, so they have the ability to do the same on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
