Burton Albion will get the 2024-25 League One campaign underway with a home clash against Lincoln City on Saturday.
The Brewers are competing in the third tier for a seventh consecutive season, while the Imps are appearing in the third tier for a sixth successive campaign.
Match preview
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Burton Albion experienced a difficult 2023-24 campaign, mustering 46 points from as many matches to cling onto their League One status by two points.
Since the end of last season, the Brewers have parted ways with Martin Paterson to make way for the appointment of Mark Robinson, who left his role as Chelsea development squad head coach.
Robinson has taken on his second job in senior management after previously coaching AFC Wimbledon from January 2021 to March 2022.
The 57-year-old has made 20 signings over the course of the summer window as he looks to build a squad that can improve upon Burton's run of four consecutive bottom-half finishes.
With the Brewers keen to get off to a positive start, they may be able to take confidence from the fact that they won four of their last five matches against Lincoln, although they did fall to a narrow 1-0 loss in the most recent meeting in February.
Lincoln are preparing for their first full season under Michael Skubala after taking over the reins at Sincil Bank in November 2023.
Skubala went agonisingly close to leading the Imps to the League One playoffs only to fall two points short after losing to Portsmouth on the final day of the season.
They will hope to go at least one better this season and claim their first top-six finish since clinching fifth spot in 2020-21.
Like Saturday's opponents, Lincoln have made a number of additions over the summer, including the arrival of Tom Hamer following his exit from Burton at the end of last season.
Lincoln will be looking to pick up from where they left off last term after they finished the 2023-24 campaign with a nine-game unbeaten away run.
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Team News
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Burton are already having to deal with a lengthy injury list which includes Jason Sraha, Geraldo Bajrami, Jack Hazlehurst, Charlie Webster, Julian Larsson, Alex Bannon and Jack Cooper-Love.
Robinson is hoping that Terence Vancooten can prove his fitness after the defender was forced off in the second half of the recent friendly against Morecambe.
Summer signing Danilo Orsi could be given the chance to lead the line, with the striker looking to produce the sort of form that saw him score 25 goals for Crawley Town last season.
Meanwhile, the Imps are unable to call upon Tyler Walker, while Conor McGrandles and Reeco Hackett are unlikely to feature.
The Imps are hopeful that Sean Roughan will be available for selection after sitting out the recent friendly against Arsenal Under-21s.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Vancooten, Sweeney, Williams; Akoto, Watt, Chauke, Kalinauskas; Bodin, Whitfield; Orsi
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Wickens; Hamer, Jackson, O'Connor; Darikwa, Erhahon, Bayliss, McKiernan, Duffy; House, Makama
We say: Burton Albion 1-1 Lincoln City
Lincoln avoided defeat in their final nine away games of the 2023-24 campaign, and we think that they will extend that unbeaten streak by taking a point from their opening match of the new season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
