The Pirelli Stadium is set to host a League One relegation six-pointer when demotion-threatened Burton Albion face a struggling Mansfield Town on Saturday.
Surprisingly, the Brewers will come into this weekend's clash looking for a third win on the bounce, while the Stags will be desperate to stop the rot.
Match preview
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Gary Bowyer's Burton may still be in the relegation zone, but they have clawed themselves back from the brink after losing just two of their 11 matches in 2025 so far.
The Brewers are now just two points behind Peterborough United - the first team safe from the drop - having picked up 19 of their 32 points since the turn of the year, and avoiding demotion looks more achievable than ever.
Last time out, Bowyer's side followed up their 1-0 win on the road to Stevenage with three points and another clean sheet in a 1-0 victory at Lincoln City's LNER Stadium, and with bottom-club Cambridge United just six points behind, those consecutive triumphs have completely changed the complexion of Albion's season.
Saturday's hosts have lost just one of their last five games at the Pirelli Stadium, and with two draws and two wins to their name in that stretch - including an impressive 3-2 win against promotion-chasing Reading on January 28 - they will be confident of putting more points on the board this weekend.
A third win on the trot could see Burton leapfrog the Posh and climb out of the relegation zone should results elsewhere prove favourable, and given their opponents' dire form, they may even be favourites despite their league position.
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Meanwhile, Nigel Clough's Mansfield are now just six points above their opponents after a shocking slew of results in 2025 that has left them 16th in the third tier.
After recording back-to-back wins to start the year, the Stags have since lost all but one of their last 10 games across all competitions, drawing 3-3 against Blackpool on February 15 to break up a pattern of defeats that makes for awful reading for fans.
That being said, it is commendable that a team that were promoted from League Two last season earned enough points in the first part of the campaign to stay above the relegation zone despite such a disastrous run.
The reverse fixture back in August was Clough's side's first home game in League One for 21 years, and they needed a 97th-minute, penalty-spot equaliser from Lee Gregory to walk away with a point in a 3-3 draw.
This time around, it remains to be seen whether Saturday's visitors can muster that level of character to take something from the match, especially considering that they have avoided defeat in just one of their last four away fixtures.
Team News
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Burton will welcome right-sided defender Terence Vancooten back into the XI after he missed the win over Lincoln due to suspension, so expect him to start alongside Ryan Sweeney and Jack Armer in a back three.
With Vancooten's return and the injury that midfielder Kgagelo Chauke picked up last time out, expect Kyran Lofthouse to shift infield from the right, and Udoka Godwin-Malife to operate in a right wing-back role.
Further forward, striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson had to be taken off with an injury with almost half an hour left to play against Lincoln, so anticipate a strike partnership of Rumarn Burrell and Mason Bennett up top this weekend.
As for Mansfield, midfielder Keanu Baccus picked up an assist in his team's defeat against Wrexham last Sunday, and he is likely to start next to Louis Reed and George Maris in the centre of the park once again on Saturday.
On the other hand, left-back Calum MacDonald was on the scoresheet for both sides within the first 20 minutes last weekend, and given that he was taken off at half time in that match, Adedeji Oshilaja could take his place in the lineup this time around.
In attack, veteran striker Lee Gregory has not featured since the Stags' 1-0 loss to Northampton Town on February 7, so expect to see Will Evans and Caylan Vickers form a duo up front.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Vancooten, Sweeney, Armer; Godwin-Malife, Webster, Lofthouse, Kalinauskas, Dodgson; Bennett, Burrell
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Flinders; Kilgour, Flint, McLaughlin; Bowery, Baccus, Reed, Maris, Oshilaja; Evans, Vickers
We say: Burton Albion 1-0 Mansfield Town
Burton have been in relatively strong form this year, and they seem the most capable of the relegation battlers at the moment.
Additionally, with Mansfield's desperate record in 2025 and the Brewers' back-to-back clean sheets leading up to Saturday's clash, Bowyer's side should be the favourites to take all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
