Two improving League One strugglers meet on Tuesday, as Burton Albion and Accrington Stanley contest an EFL Trophy third round tie at the Pirelli Stadium.
While the Brewers found a late equaliser against Derby County to extend their unbeaten streak to a seventh game at the weekend, the visitors saw their chance to build on a run of three wins from four ended by a frozen pitch.
Match preview
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Though they have recently stopped the rot and avoided becoming cut further adrift inside the League One relegation zone, Burton again failed to take three points when they hosted local rivals Derby County on Saturday.
Star striker Victor Adeboyejo - who had opened the scoring in the Brewers' previous match against MK Dons - was called upon to net an equaliser in the closing stages, and his 12th goal of the season at least secured a 1-1 draw with a serious promotion contender.
The Staffordshire side still languish in 22nd place, though - both five points adrift of a position of safety in the standings and their upcoming opponents Accrington.
Since appointing Dino Maamria to replace Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink earlier this season, an improvement in form has slowly taken place, and Burton have secured progression to both the FA Cup third round and the EFL Trophy's last 16.
Now undefeated in their last seven outings - including four straight league draws - Maamria's men reached the knockout phase of the latter competition by topping a group also featuring Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City's Under-21s, before beating Tranmere Rovers on penalties in the second round.
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Cutting short their ascent of the League One table, Saturday's scheduled fixture at home to Portsmouth saw Accrington Stanley frustrated by the wintry weather, which resulted in an unplayable surface causing the match to be postponed.
Having been unable to tackle one of the division's top sides at the Wham Stadium, John Coleman's side remain in 19th place. Nonetheless, before taking the trip south on Tuesday, they are unbeaten in four games across all competitions.
That streak stands in sharp contrast to a run of just one point from seven outings during a miserable October, and the Lancashire club appear to be on the rise again.
Progression to the FA Cup third round courtesy of wins over Crawley Town and Barnet has set up a tie with Boreham Wood in January, while beating Cambridge United and taking a point against Oxford United has stabilised a faltering league campaign.
After finishing second to Salford City in an EFL Trophy group from which Rochdale and Liverpool's youngsters fell by the wayside, Accrington eliminated Grimsby Town in the first knockout round - with Tommy Leigh's second-half penalty setting up this week's tie at Burton.
Team News
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Facing a tough trip to Barnsley on Saturday, Burton boss Dino Maamria may opt to make a number of changes to his starting XI, though top scorer Victor Adeboyejo could continue up front, having played from the start in the previous round.
Veteran defender Adrian Mariappa is fit and available following a recent injury layoff so could be included at centre-back, while Bobby Kamwa is expected to support Adeboyejo up front.
Mustapha Carayol scored a dramatic late equaliser to send Albion's second round tie to penalties, so the 34-year-old winger will hope to feature again on Tuesday. Midfielder Joe Powell has been ruled out with a calf problem.
Meanwhile, Accrington missed out on league action at the weekend, so may name a relatively strong side. Such a lineup would include Harvey Rodgers, who was nominated for League One's November Player of the Month award, having headed in a late equaliser against Lincoln City and the winner at Cambridge.
John Coleman brought Doug Tharme and Ryan Astley back into his defence last time out, and both are likely to be retained; Scottish midfielder Ethan Hamilton - who is the club's leading scorer with five goals so far this season - should also play a part in Coleman's 3-5-2 setup.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Garratt; Brayford, Mariappa, Ndaba, Borthwick-Jackson; Onyango, Mancienne, Oshilaja; Kamwa, Adeboyejo, Carayol
Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Savin; Tharme, Astley, Rodgers; Clark, Conneely, Whalley, Coyle, Hamilton; Whalley, Leigh
We say: Burton Albion 0-1 Accrington Stanley
Fresh from a postponed fixture on home soil, Accrington should have the legs to compete with an increasingly resilient Burton side and edge through to the fourth round. Though defeat would end Albion's unbeaten run, they still have a winnable FA Cup tie with Grimsby to look forward to early next year.
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Jonathan O'Shea
