Wolves vs Burton: The inside track on The Brewers

Luke Hatfield spoke with Joshua Murray, Burton Albion reporter for the Burton Mail to get a proper look at The Brewers.

See what he had to say here...

Wolves obviously got the better of Burton earlier this season in something of a rout, do you think the Brewers will have that game in their thinking this time around?

That game will have shown the Brewers just how good this Wolves team is, if they needed any more insight given the way Wolves have set the Championship pace so fiercely all season.

But I don’t think it will have much of an impact on how they approach the game. They know what they will need to do to give themselves a chance at Molineux – stay tight, cut out any mistakes and show a clinical edge in front of goal as and when a chance presents itself.

That will be the plan for every game between now and the end of the season.

Burton have struggled in recent times and are in the thick of a relegation battle, do they have the ability to survive and build themselves into a stable Championship side?

They certainly have the ability to survive, even if they have not shown it throughout the campaign. Nigel Clough’s side have a habit of picking up a win right when they need it, and they will need to show that knack now more than ever.

Their performances over the past six or seven games have shown that confidence is not lacking – they have been well organised at the back and patient and creative in possession.

Taking their chances, though, has been the issue that has held them back in recent weeks, with Burton failing to score in six of their last seven matches.

If they are to stay up, they will also need to find a way to bring a miserable six-month winless run on home soil to an end.

Should they fail to do that, it is likely to define their season.

As for being able to build themselves into a stable Championship side, that is an even bigger ask still, as the Brewers are punching massively above their weight in terms of their resources and the size of the club and fanbase compared to their divisional rivals.

Staying up for a second successive season would be an incredible feat, though.

Have Burton done much transfer business through January? Could their business play a part in the game?

Nigel Clough sought to fine-tune and streamline the Albion squad in January, with five players leaving and three other loanees returning to their parent clubs.

Coming the other way, the Brewers added Darren Bent, Martin Samuelsen and Jacob Davenport on loan deals.

Thus far, Davenport has been the most effective addition. The 19-year-old Manchester City holding midfielder – rated highly by Pep Guardiola – is a confident performer on the ball, helping to get Albion on the front foot and allowing them to retain possession.

Bent is yet to get off the mark in yellow and black and has seen a few chances go begging as he looks to make a telling impact – but his quality as a forward has still been noticeable, and it might only take one strike to spur him on to some pivotal displays before the end of the season. He will know the importance of doing that soon, of course.

As for Samuelsen, he has shown an inconsistency that you would expect from a young attacking midfielder. The 20-year-old, though, has good pace and skill moving forward and can really stretch opposition defences – an important factor down the home straight for a team who are struggling to score.

A lot of bigger teams may see Burton as an easy opponent in their run-ins, do you think this underdog status could help the Brewers surprise some teams toward the end of this season?

Burton will hope that plays into their hands – and there is a sense that they can play with some freedom against teams like Wolves and Cardiff City.

Clough has been quick to stress that these are not free hits, because they need every point they can get at the moment. But with the odds stacked against them, Albion will continue to play the expansive football of recent weeks and hope to catch the high-flyers out.

They were very good against Sheffield United in midweek, despite losing 2-0, and can draw on the inspiration of last season’s last-gasp victory at Huddersfield Town in April, which saw them shock the eventual play-off winners and sparked a brilliant run of form that ultimately kept them in the division.

How do you expect Burton to face up against the league leaders?

Beset by injuries, it is hard to predict how the Brewers will line up. A 4-5-1 system is the likeliest, with either Darren Bent or record signing Liam Boyce – who has missed most of the season with an ACL injury – leading the line.

Predicted XI: Bywater; Flanagan, Naylor, McFadzean, McCrory; Sordell, Davenport, Akpan, Murphy, Dyer, Bent

What do you make of Wolves' promotion credentials, judging by what you've seen, could they cut it in the Premier League?

Barring the slight slump of recent weeks (and it’s hardly a slump by anyone else’s standards, is it?!), Wolves have looked seriously impressive from front to back this season.

They have obvious attacking quality – which you would expect given the calibre of player they brought in over the summer – but also look supremely organised and are ruthless in everything they do. When at their best, everything they do looks easier than it does for any other team, except perhaps Fulham.

Judging by the games I’ve seen, I can’t see them having many issues adapting to the Premier League, where their blend of pace and power would stand them in good stead.

You would imagine they would also be capable of making a few more eye-opening signings to boost their squad and enhance their chances too.

Your match prediction?

It’s not a scoreline, but my prediction is that this game will rest on the first half-an-hour at Molineux.

If Wolves grab an early goal, they could take complete control and make it another difficult afternoon for the Brewers.

But Clough’s side never lack in commitment or work rate, and if they can stem Wolves’ flow before the break and perhaps sneak a goal, they might just fancy their chances of leaving with something.

That would be a superb achievement if they do.

You can follow Joshua on Twitter by searching for @JoshuaMurrayBM.