Burton Albion vs Nottingham Forest Predictions

Can League One side Burton Albion cause a shock when they host Nottingham Forest this weekend? Nigel Clough meets his former side in this Carabao Cup encounter on Tuesday night. The Brewers are currently struggling in the third tier, sitting 16th in the standings following their weekend defeat. While they linger in the bottom half of League One, Forest have dreams of the Premier League. Those ambitions are on hold this week, as they make the trip to the Pirelli.

Burton were beaten 2-1 by Peterborough on Saturday, a result which has left them with 18 points from 15 matches. A return to the Championship looks far off for the Brewers as things stand. However, they have a chance to pull off a huge shock against high flying opposition on Tuesday. It’s been a difficult season so far for Nigel Clough’s side, but things could brighten up with a cup victory this week. Will Burton manage to upset the odds in this clash, or are Forest set for another victory on the road?

While the Carabao Cup isn’t likely to be too high on Forest’s list of priorities, they have enjoyed a solid run in this competition so far. They come into Tuesday’s clash aiming to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, but getting to the Premier League remains the biggest aim. They won the League Cup four times under Brian Clough, with his son Nigel featuring in the sides who won it in 1989 and 1990. Times have changed for Forest since, and after almost 20 years out of the Premier League, they’ve made a fantastic start to their promotion push, sitting narrowly outside of the play-offs.

However, a win at Burton would bring Forest into the fourth round of the League Cup for the first time since 2004. After wins over Newcastle and Stoke, Aitor Karanka’s side are on a great run in this competition, and success could boost their charge for a play-off spot. We’ve seen the visitors excel on the road of late, scoring twice in three of their last four matches. Saturday brought a 1-1 draw away to Championship leaders Leeds, and they should build on that with a victory at the Pirelli.

The visitors should have too much for lower league opposition, especially after winning five of their last seven trips in this competition. Their only defeats in that time came at Chelsea and Tottenham, so we think Forest should jump this hurdle. We’re backing a first quarter-final spot for Forest in 18 years, as they’re well priced to claim a victory on Tuesday.