Burton Albion face Nottingham Forest Under-21s at the Pirelli Stadium on Tuesday night in their EFL Trophy group stage opener. The Brewers will look to use the competition to build momentum after a mixed start to their League One campaign, where they currently sit 12th with nine points from seven games.
Their last outing was a 2-2 draw at home to Mansfield Town, a result that extended their unbeaten run at the Pirelli Stadium to three matches. In that game, Jack Armer scored Burton's first-half equaliser, assisted by Caylon Vickers, though they were pegged back twice. The team's recent home form has been a bright spot, with a 4-1 win over AFC Wimbledon and a 2-2 draw with Cambridge United preceding the Mansfield result.
Manager Martin Paterson is expected to rotate his squad for the Trophy fixture, with the weekend's league trip to third-placed Plymouth Argyle in mind. The starting lineup from the Mansfield draw featured a 3-4-2-1 shape with C. Addai in goal and a front three of R. Borges Rodrigues, C. Webster, and Caylon Vickers.
Nottingham Forest's development side, who compete in the Northern section of the competition, have not played a competitive match since last November. Their last result was a 1-0 win away at Forest Green Rovers. For Burton, success in this competition could provide a valuable confidence boost and a route to silverware.
