THE Brewers are gearing up to face one of England’s best sides in Manchester City, who they play at the Pirelli Stadium in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg this evening.
HEAD 2 HEAD
The Brewers travelled to the Etihad Stadium two weeks ago and were beaten heavily by the Premier League champions.
The 9-0 defeat may have all but settled the tie, but Nigel Clough’s side will be hoping to end their historic cup run on a high note.
BURTON ALBION TEAM NEWS
Jamie Allen and Scott Fraser are the two biggest injury doubts heading into tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
The Brewers face Manchester City looking to avoid another heavy defeat after the 9-0 in the first leg but may have to cope without the two influential midfielders.
Both players came off in the second half of the 2-2 draw at Doncaster on Saturday.
Nigel Clough said: “Jamie has been struggling with his ankle for the last four weeks and Scott picked up a knock to his knee – so both are doubtful.”
Josh Clarke is cup tied having already played for Brentford in the competition this season.
But new signing Colin Daniel is available having not featured for Peterborough in the Carabao Cup this season.
MAN CITY TEAM NEWS
City are expected to field side containing a number of first team players, with their under 21s team having played a Checkatrade Trophy quarter-final against Sunderland yesterday evening.
Felix Nmecha, Luke Bolton, Iker Pozo, Ian Carlo Poveda and Taylor Richards have all trained with their first team this week, which could indicate that they will be involved alongside some more senior players.
OFFICIALS
Kevin Friend will be in charge for tonight’s game. The experienced Premier League official will be assisted by Matthew Wilkes and Simon Beck. The assistant referee is Paul Tierney.
Friend has taken charge of 23 games in all competitions this season and has issued 85 yellow cards. He has also given one red card and nine penalties.
TICKETS
Supporters are urged to collect their tickets well in advance of kick-off as the ticket office is expected to be incredibly busy throughout the evening.
If you still have to collect tickets on matchday please allow plenty of time and expect to queue.
Ticket windows close 15 minutes before kick off.
PARKING
The Pirelli staff car park will be open for this evening’s game at a cost of £3.
With a big crowd expected, the car park, close by to the Pirelli Stadium, will be available for all supporters to park at on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Car Park is just along Derby Road from the stadium.
PROGRAMME
THE 72-page Carabao Cup semi-final souvenir programme is now on sale in the club shop.
Priced at £3 the Matchday Brewer features a focus on Manchester City plus the thoughts of manager Nigel Clough and Chairman Ben Robinson on the game.
The player interview is with Reece Hutchinson who is enjoying an impressve season with the Brewers.
There are also features on the Academy, Burton Albion Community Trust and pages for our young fans to enjoy.
The programme can also be purchased at tonight’s game.
BAG POLICY
Burton Albion is reminding fans that they are encouraged not to bring bags to the Pirelli Stadium.
The policy is in operation for security and safety reasons and is in line with other football clubs in the EFL.
The club does not permit holdalls and rucksacks in the stands, terraces or in hospitality areas. The club also discourages bringing smaller bags into the ground. Anyone bringing any bag to the Pirelli Stadium will have to have it checked and tagged by security staff. This will mean that supporters must be willing to present their bags for checking on arrival and that there may be queues meaning extra time will be needed to enter the stadium.