BURTON Albion return to Pirelli Stadium action, ahead of a double-header of festive home games. On Saturday we take on Rochdale AFC in a 3pm kick-off. Have a read of our match preview below.
HEAD 2 HEAD
Last season saw mixed results for the Brewers against the Dale, with a 2-1 opening day defeat at the Pirelli Stadium being cancelled out by an impressive 4-0 away win at Spotland. The reverse fixture was arguably one of the performances of the season, which included a first professional hat-trick for Marcus Harness.
The Brewers have faced Rochdale 12 times in the last 20 years; six ties in League Two, four in League One and two in the FA Cup. Of these, Albion have won seven meetings and taken at least a point in nine of them.
BREWERS NEWS
The Brewers come into the fixture with a relatively injury-free squad. Other than the two long term injuries within the camp, the only confirmed non-starter is Nathan Broadhead, who will miss out entirely over the two festive home games due to his recurring hamstring injury.
Two suspensions will be a concern to manager Nigel Clough, with both Stephen Quinn and John-Joe O’Toole missing out. Ryan Edwards returns from a one-game suspension but it is an almost like-for-like swap as Quinn takes a turn on the sidelines for this fixture.
Previous doubts were John Brayford, Reece Hutchinson and Oliver Sarkic, but all three made substitute appearances against Wycombe Wanderers and came through okay.
ROCHDALE AFC NEWS
Rochdale sit 18th in the SkyBet League One table, two points behind the Brewers.
They come off the back of one league win in their last six; however, that win was a 1-0 away victory against Rotherham United, and they will also be bolstered by a 2-1 away win in the FA Cup Second Round replay against Boston United.
Stephen Dooley returned from injury as a substitute in that aforementioned FA Cup tie, but Dale lost their top scorer Ian Henderson early on in the same game.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Our match against the Dale will be officiated by referee Mr Graham Salisbury, and assisted by Mr David Benton and Mr Danny Gratton on the lines. The Fourth Official will be Mr Ravel Cheosiaua.
Salisbury has officiated six League One matches this season, of which he has awarded 29 yellow cards. He has only given two straight red cards this season, both of which came in League Two.
TICKET NEWS
Home fans looking to make a late decision to attend the fixture can pay in cash at the turnstiles to access the UK Waterproofing Stand (Popside) or the Don Amott (West) Stand behind the goal.
Anyone wishing to sit in the Carling Stand must purchase a ticket prior to kick-off from the ticket office.
Please note that prices increase by £2 each on match-day, so anyone wishing to attend can save by purchasing their tickets in advance before 5pm today.
Earlybird prices are:
Seats:
Adults: £22
Senior (65-plus): £20
Young Person (17-22): £20
Under-17: £12
Under-13: £12
Terrace:
Adults: £18
Senior (65-plus): £16
Young Person (17-22): £13
Under-17: £5
Under-13: £5
All tickets will increase by £2 on match-day.
iFollow BREWERS
This game is not available for streaming domestically but you can buy an audio only pass for £2.50 HERE.