English
Español
Français
Português
Deutsch
Italiano
NederlandBurton Albion welcome Sunderland to the Pirelli Stadium on Tuesday for the third game of the new League One season, with both sides already harbouring ambitions of promotion after strong starts.
The two teams come into the game with a 100% record after their first two matches but at least one of them will have to leave with that no longer being the case.
Match preview
© Reuters
Burton manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will be happy with what he has seen from his men so far this term, after a win on the opening weekend away at Shrewsbury Town and another three points earned on Saturday.
The game against Ipswich Town proved to be a tale of two penalties. The teams managed one goal each in the first half - Joe Powell slotting home to give Albion the lead only for them to be pegged back three minutes later - but the drama would arrive later on.
Former Brewers fan favourite Scott Fraser saw his penalty saved by keeper Ben Garratt, before Lucas Akins held his nerve at the other end to convert from the spot in the 86th minute.
That secured a first win against the Tractor Boys at the ninth attempt for Burton and moved them up to fourth in the table, as they make a promising start in their bid to improve upon an underwhelming campaign last season which saw them finish 16th.
Hasselbaink will be hoping to match the success he enjoyed in his first spell at Burton. The Dutchman left the Brewers after a promotion from League Two - and with the team top of League One - to take over as Queens Park Rangers manager, but experienced little joy in his time there and later at Northampton Town, and has now returned to Staffordshire after a two-year break from management.
The man in the other dugout is also a fairly new appointment, as Sunderland's high turnover of managers has continued during their turbulent time in the lower leagues.
Lee Johnson will be hoping he can be the one to break that trend. If he is to be successful, he will have to aim for promotion back to the Championship after Sunderland's many recent near misses.
The Black Cats have lost in the playoffs twice in the last three seasons, and their time in League One - which they were initially determined would be a brief blip - has now reached a fourth successive season.
This campaign has started well, though, with a pair of 2-1 away wins at Port Vale on the opening weekend and against MK Dons on Saturday, where Ross Stewart and Elliot Embleton scored either side of half time before Troy Parrott pulled one back for the hosts.
The Black Cats were able to hold on for victory, despite a late missed penalty, and will now be setting their sights on a third consecutive win as they take on a team they beat 3-0 in their most recent meeting.
- W
- W
- L
- L
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Burton look set to still be without Deji Oshilaja, after the defender went off injured during the midweek EFL Cup game against Oxford United.
Terry Taylor was brought in as his replacement for the game against Ipswich and will likely continue after a solid performance in the victory, with Hasselbaink sticking to a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Michael Mancienne, Michael Bostwick and Aaron Amadi-Holloway all returned to the bench last game after spells out with injury and there is a good chance Mancienne will now be considered ready for a full 90 minutes.
Sunderland will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 and do not have too many injury and suspension issues to deal with, aside from the long-term absences of centre-backs Arbenit Xhemajli and Jordan Willis.
Luke O'Nien missed the game against MK Dons with an illness - with Dennis Cirkin coming in to fill the void and make his debut - but should have recovered in time for Tuesday's match.
Captain Corry Evans, however, did limp off during the 2-1 victory, with Alex Pritchard on hand to replace him, and the new signing will likely continue should Evans's issue prove to be worthy of a spell on the sidelines.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Garratt; Brayford, Shaughnessy, Leak, Hamer; Mancienne, O'Connor, Akins, Powell, Smith; Patrick
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Burge; Winchester, Flanagan, Doyle, O'Nien; Pritchard, Neil, Gooch, Embleton, McGeady; Stewart
We say: Burton Albion 1-2 Sunderland
Burton rode their luck in the win against Ipswich and may find that a motivated Sunderland team will bring an end to their perfect start to the season, with a third consecutive 2-1 away win.
