Preview: Burton Albion vs. Tamworth – prediction, team news, lineups

National League Tamworth will look to pull off an FA Cup upset when they travel to the Pirelli Stadium for Sunday’s FA Cup second-round clash with League One Burton Albion.

Tamworth sprung a surprise to beat Huddersfield Town in the first round, while the Brewers kicked off the FA Cup campaign with a win over Scarborough Athletic.

Match preview

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Burton may welcome the distraction of the FA Cup, with the Brewers languishing at the bottom of the League One table after collecting just eight points from 16 matches.

Caretaker boss Tom Hounsell has taken charge of seven competitive matches since Mark Robinson‘s dismissal, overseeing three wins, one draw and three defeats.

The first of those three victories took place in the FA Cup first round, claiming a narrow 1-0 victory over sixth-tier Scarborough Athletic thanks to Tomas Kalinauskas‘s opener.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, they will go into the second round off the back of consecutive home league defeats against Stockport County and Charlton Athletic.

They will now be fully focused on their first competitive meeting with Tamworth since they recorded a 1-0 win in a National League match in February 2007, and a similar result on Sunday would see them progress to the third round for the second time in three seasons.

In contrast to their hosts, Tamworth have had to negotiate two FA Cup ties to reach the second round for the first time since 2013-14.

Tamworth got their FA Cup campaign up and running with a 4-2 victory over Macclesfield Town in the final qualifying round, before they pulled off an upset against League One Huddersfield Town in the first round proper.

Chris Maxwell‘s 44th-minute own goal proved enough to guide Tamworth to a memorable 1-0 victory, setting up a second-round tie against another League One side.

Andy Peaks‘s side followed that result with a four-game winless run in all competitions, before they returned to winning ways in their recent league clash against Dagenham & Redbridge, with Dan Creaney netting a brace in a 2-1 home victory.

However, their hopes of claiming a second straight win may be tempered by the fact they have lost each of their previous three away matches.

Burton Albion FA Cup form:

Burton Albion form (all competitions):

Tamworth FA Cup form:

Tamworth form (all competitions):

Team News

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Burton midfielder Charlie Webster will start a three-match ban after being shown a straight red card for violent conduct in the recent defeat to Charlton.

Captain Elliot Watt is back from a one-match suspension, while Kgaogelo Chauke is set to return to the squad following a spell on the sidelines.

Ciaran Gilligan could be considered for a starting spot after returning from injury to feature as a substitute in midweek.

As for the visitors, goalkeeper Jasbir Singh will be looking to produce another strong performance after keeping a clean sheet in the first-round clash against Huddersfield.

The Tamworth goalkeeper could be shielded by the back four of Ben Crompton, Jordan Cullinane-Liburd, Haydn Hollis and Luke Fairlamb.

Creaney will continue to lead the line for the visitors, with the striker looking to add to the seven goals he has scored this season.

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Godwin-Malife, Vancooten, Sweeney, Armer; Watt, Bannon; Whitfield, Gilligan, Kalinauskas; Orsi

Tamworth possible starting lineup:
Singh; Crompton, Cullinane-Liburd, Hollis, Fairlamb; McGlinchey, Tonks, Tshikuna, Milnes, Williams; Creaney

We say: Burton Albion 2-1 Tamworth

Burton may be struggling in League One this season, but they will still be favourites to progress from this tie, and we think they will live up to that tag by claiming a narrow win over a Tamworth side that have lost each of their last three away matches.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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