Seeking to maintain their 100% home record in 2024, Leyton Orient welcome Burton Albion to the Gaughan Group Stadium in round 34 of League One on Saturday.
Martin Paterson's men head into the weekend fresh off the back of picking up their first league win on the road since October and will be looking to build on that result.
Match preview
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Leyton Orient picked up three huge points in their race for a playoff spot as they scraped a 4-3 victory over Northampton Town when the sides squared off on Tuesday.
Marc Leonard, Kieron Bowie and Tyreece Simpson all found the back of the net for Northampton, but goals from Ollie O'Neill, Shaqai Forde and a brace from Ruel Sotiriou helped the hosts secure all three points in a seven-goal thriller.
Prior to that, Richie Wellens's side saw their eight-game unbeaten run come to an end last Saturday when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Barnsley at Oakwell.
With their midweek results, the Os have now won their three home matches since the turn of the year and are unbeaten in their last five games at the Gaughan Group Stadium, claiming four wins and one draw since December's 3-0 loss to Derby County.
Having secured promotion from League Two last term, Leyton Orient can dream of a place in the playoff as they sit eighth in the League One table, seven points adrift of sixth-placed Oxford United in the final playoff spot.
Burton Albion, on the other hand, took a huge stride towards preserving their top-flight status as they picked up a 2-1 victory over 10th-placed Bristol Rovers last Saturday.
In an action-packed contest at the Memorial Stadium, goals from Ciaran Gilligan and Mark Helm put the Brewers in a commanding lead before Antony Evans pulled one for the hosts with a 60th-minute strike.
Having failed to win any of their opening four matches in 2024, including a 2-1 defeat against Blackpool in the EFL Cup third round on January 10, a run of two wins and one draw in their last four matches has steered Paterson's men off the danger zone.
With 35 points from 21 matches, Burton Albion are currently 18th in the League One standings, four points above the dotted line and level on points with Reading, Cambridge United and Shrewsbury Town.
Team News
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Sotiriou scored two goals off the bench against Northampton last time out and the 23-year-old, who now has 10 league goals this season, should return to the Leyton Orient XI this weekend.
He should be joined in the Os starting side by 21-year-old O'Neill and teenage forward Forde, who has nine goals and one assist in 15 league starts.
On the injury front, Leyton Orient will take to the pitch without Jordan Graham, while 25-year-old defender Daniel Happe is a doubt after missing the game against Northampton through a slight injury.
As for Burton Albion, Jasper Moon missed the game against Bristol Rovers last time out after coming off injured against Lincoln City on February 3 and the 23-year-old is out of contention for Saturday's tie.
With his strike last weekend, English forward Helm has now scored three goals in his last six matches and the 22-year-old should retain his role in the Brewers' attack.
Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Brynn; Galbraith, Happe, Cooper, James; Brown, El Mizouni, Moncur; Forde, O'Neill, Sotiriou
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Hamer, Nsiala, Sweeney, Brayford, Bola; Powell, Gilligan; Helm; Hudlin, Bennett
We say: Leyton Orient 3-1 Burton Albion
Leyton Orient turned in an attacking show of class in midweek and will head into Saturday's game with sky-high confidence. While Burton will be looking to build on their win over Bristol Rovers, they have struggled to get going on the road, and we fancy the Os claiming all three points in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
