Carabao Cup action returns this week and the fourth round begins on Tuesday with two fixtures. One of those two games sees Nottingham Forest make the trip across the East Midlands to face Burton Albion.

STATS

• Burton had to deal with the heartbreak of relegation last season and they now find themselves in League One, struggling to perform. However, they have been strong in the cup this term beating two sides higher up in the footballing pyramid. Following victory over Shrewsbury in round one, they went on to beat Aston Villa and Premier League Burnley to ensure they are in the hat for the fourth round.
• Nottingham Forest are balancing a strong league campaign with a decent cup run so far. They sit just outside the play-offs in the Championship and after beating Bury, Newcastle and Stoke, they have a great chance of advancing further in the Carabao Cup. With some of the bigger top-flight sides taking their foot off the gas in the League Cup, it may open the door for a side like Forest to reach a semi-final or even a final.
• After having to deal with a horror injury last term, Liam Boyce has returned to good form with Burton, he is their leading league scorer with five goals.
• Only two Championship players have scored more than Lewis Grabban this season as his eight goals give him a chance of pushing for the Golden Boot.

HEAD TO HEAD

With Burton spending the last two seasons in the Championship alongside Nottingham Forest, all four of the previous meetings between the sides have come in the last two years. Forest won two of the four meetings with Burton winning once, that one win came at the Pirelli Stadium where Tuesday’s fixture is being held. The most recent of the games came at that venue in February where the game finished 0-0.

BURTON ALBION NEWS

A small squad is something that damaged Burton’s survival hopes last season and that hasn't changed. Even without any notable absentees, Nigel Clough doesn’t have a plethora of players to pick from.

Latest matches: Burton Albion

27.10.2018	Leag	Burton Albion	Peterborough United	1:2	L
23.10.2018	Leag	Portsmouth FC	Burton Albion	2:2	D
20.10.2018	Leag	Plymouth Argyle	Burton Albion	2:3	W
13.10.2018	Leag	Burton Albion	Bristol Rovers	1:0	W
09.10.2018	Foot	Port Vale FC	Burton Albion	1:0	L

NOTTINGHAM FOREST NEWS

Forest’s good form in the league has been helped by their lack of injured players. Daryl Murphy is the only unavailable man for the cup clash with the rest of the squad fit.

Latest matches: Nottingham Forest

27.10.2018	Cham	Leeds United	Nottingham Forest	1:1	D
24.10.2018	Cham	Bolton Wanderers	Nottingham Forest	0:3	W
20.10.2018	Cham	Nottingham Forest	Norwich City	1:2	L
06.10.2018	Cham	Middlesbrough FC	Nottingham Forest	0:2	W
03.10.2018	Cham	Nottingham Forest	Millwall FC	2:2	D

SUMMARY

This has all the makings to be a great cup tie despite the league difference between the two sides. Burton have claimed some big scalps in the Carabao Cup so far this season but so have Nottingham Forest. The visitors have to be seen as favourites to come out on top but I wouldn’t put it past Burton getting on the scoresheet and maybe taking the tie to extra-time.