League football is back! Lincoln City start their SkyBet League One campaign on the road as Michael Skubala’s side travel to the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday evening to face Burton Albion (17:30 KO).
Both sides will have a new look about them in comparison to the ones that finished last season, with the Imps already making 10 new signings and Albion signing double that figure.
It will be the first time that Michael Skubala leads a team into the opening day of a season as head coach, after his first pre-season with Lincoln City. It’s set to be a great atmosphere at the Pirelli Stadium with a bumper City following expected of over 1,000 Imps.
Burton Albion:
Known as the Brewers, the club have recently seen new owners take over the club, Nordic Football Group, based in Sweden. They have splashed the cash to bring in a host of EFL experience.
These signings include promotion winning midfielder Billy Bodin from Oxford United, defender Terence Vancooten from Stevenage, and goalkeeper Harry Isted from Charlton Athletic.
Whilst many have arrived at the Pirelli Stadium, 17 players have left the club this summer, including striker Cole Stockton, midfielder Joe Powell to Rotherham, Tom Hamer to Skubala’s Lincoln, and goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.
Last season, Albion survived by the skin of their teeth in 20th place, only two points above the relegation zone, and certainly will be looking to improve on that feet this season.
Team News:
City arrive at the new season with some injury concerns. Forward Tyler Walker will miss at least three months with an injury sustained during pre-season camp in Spain. Reeco Hackett will also miss the first part of the season as his rehabilitation continues, but is not as far away from returning.
Freddie Draper was taken off as a precaution in the pre-season friendly against Harrogate Town, but returned against Arsenal U21s at the weekend, so should be available for selection.
Defender Sean Roughan could feature on the opening day of the season after missing the game against Arsenal U21s as a “precaution” according to City head coach Skubala.
As for the hosts, they don’t have the ideal injury list coming into the first game of the season. Head coach Robinson said in his interview on Thursday that nine players will miss the season opener against the Imps due to injury.
Of these include new midfielder Charlie Webster and Jack Hazlehurst. A whole host of names are expected to make their Albion debut against the Imps, with the likes of Jack Cooper-Love, Nick Akoto and Ivan Izoudine experiencing first-team EFL football for the first time.
Head-to-head:
The two sides first met back in 2009, in League Two at the time, with the Brewers taking a 2-0 win in Lincolnshire. The Imps’ first win over the Staffordshire-based side came a decade later in 2019 in a 2-0 away win.
The two sides have played each other twice a season since then, and the Imps went over three years without tasting defeat against Albion.
Since then, City have only won one of their last four games against Saturday’s opponents, the 1-0 win away last season ending the drought.
In total, the two sides have faced off 14 times, with City coming away victorious on six occasions, Burton winning seven, and the singular draw between the two sides coming in a 0-0 draw in 2010.
Played for both:
City’s new full-back Tom Hamer will return to the club that he made nearly 150 appearances for on Saturday.
In previous years, Michael Bostwick and Neal Eardley featured for both clubs. Bostwick made over 100 appearances for the Imps, before joining Albion. He played for them on 41 occasions, scoring twice.
As for Neal Eardley, he made 140 appearances for City, before making the switch to Staffordshire along with Bostwick. Eardley only featured 14 times for the Brewers before he moved to Barrow the same season.
Both players tasted great success in the Lincoln red and white, lifting the League Two and EFL Trophy titles, during their time at Sincil Bank.
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