Burton Albion will host Cambridge United on Saturday afternoon, knowing that a win would bring them much closer to staying in League One.
That said, while the Brewers sit 20th in the table, their opponents from 23rd place could close the gap to just two points if they manage a victory at the Pirelli Stadium.
Match preview
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Gary Bowyer has done an impressive job keeping Burton’s fate under their own control with just three games left after spending most of the season in the relegation zone.
They’ve lost three out of seven matches recently, but all those defeats came against top-five teams, including a narrow 2-1 home loss to champions Birmingham City.
The Brewers have grabbed ten points from the other four games, with a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient standing out. Plus, their goal difference is comfortably better than Bristol Rovers’, who are below them.
With another game in hand at home against Wigan Athletic coming up on Tuesday, Burton basically have two chances left to keep control as they head towards the final weekend.
A win here would put them right on the edge of safety. Bowyer’s had a great run so far this season with eight wins and seven draws from his 24 matches in charge.
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On the other side, Cambridge manager Neil Harris deserves praise for turning things around after losing four straight games back in March.
The team has picked up nine points from their last seven games which puts them in a spot where they need to win both remaining matches if they want any hope of staying up.
The problem is that Birmingham await them on the final day; still, Harris and his squad must focus on winning at Burton first and foremost.
A recent loss where they gave up a lead to lose 2-1 against Leyton Orient has left Cambridge hanging by a thread. Still, they’ve beaten Shrewsbury Town and Huddersfield away recently which shows they can pull it off.
Burton Albion League One form:
Cambridge United League One form:
Team News
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Fabio Tavares might get back into Burton’s attack after scoring as a sub against Birmingham recently.
The most likely change Bowyer will make is dropping Julian Larsson from the lineup.
Charlie Webster misses out as he serves the last match of his four-game suspension.
For Cambridge, Harris might not want to shake things up too much despite their narrow defeat last time out versus Leyton Orient.
Liam Bennett could come back at right-back with James Gibbons moving over to left-back; if that happens Danny Andrew might miss out altogether.
Kelland Watts could slot into left-back too but is expected to stay central for now.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup: Crocombe; Godwin-Malife, Sweeney, Armer; Lofthouse, Chauke, Williams, Dodgson; Tavares, Mc Kiernan; Burrell
Cambridge United possible starting lineup: Stevens; Bennett, Morrison, Watts, Gibbons; Digby, Stevenson; Brophy, Stokes, Kaikai; Loft
We say: Burton Albion 2-1 Cambridge United
Cambridge have won twice away recently and will believe they can pull off another upset here. But we think Burton will bounce back from their tight defeat against Birmingham and grab those vital three points that could be key for survival.
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