Pirelli Stadium will host a League One clash between two inconsistent sides on Saturday as Leyton Orient travel to Staffordshire to take on Burton Albion.

The Brewers sit 14th after holding then-leaders Bradford City to a goalless draw on Tuesday, while the O's suffered a 1-0 defeat to Reading during the week.

Match preview

After finishing 17th in League One last season, just five points clear of relegation, Burton Albion entered the 2026-27 campaign hoping to secure a top-half finish in the third tier for the first time in over six years.

After 12 matches, Gary Bowyer's side sit 14th in the table with three wins, five draws and four defeats, leaving them with 14 points and a familiar five-point cushion over the relegation zone.

However, Burton are one of just two sides to have played 12 league matches so far, meaning the teams around them have games in hand and could close the gap once they have caught up. 

Despite winning just once across their last six League One matches, the Brewers have made their best start to a season in five years, while Tuesday's goalless draw against high-flying Bradford provided further evidence of their improvement.

With that said, if Bowyer's men are to climb the table and avoid another relegation battle, they will need to improve their home form sooner rather than later, having secured just one league victory at the Pirelli Stadium all season.

As for Leyton Orient, they travel to Burton in a similar position to their upcoming opponents, sitting 12th and level on 14 points despite having played a game fewer.

Richie Wellens's side also entered the 2026-27 campaign hoping to avoid another relegation scrap after finishing 20th last season, just three points clear of the bottom four, despite reaching the playoff places the campaign before.

Four wins, two draws and five defeats have earned the O's 14 points from their opening 11 matches, with their improved defensive performances providing a significant positive during an otherwise inconsistent start.

Four wins, two draws and five defeats has earned the O's 14 points from their opening 11 matches with their strong defensive unit a key component to their improved start.

Having conceded 71 goals in 46 League One matches last season, the fourth-highest total in the division, Orient have let in just 12 goals so far this term, giving them the sixth-best defensive record in the league and highlighting a considerable improvement at the back.

Despite their struggles last season, one of Orient's standout results came at Burton, where they defeated the Brewers 4-0 around 11 months ago.

Burton Albion League One form:

Burton Albion form (all competitions):

Leyton Orient League One form:

Leyton Orient form (all competitions):

Team News

After an encouraging draw during the week, Bowyer would have been hoping to name an unchanged starting XI for a second home game in the space of five days, but he is likely to be without George Evans, who was forced off in the closing minutes against Bradford.

Evans, who featured in defence despite primarily being a midfielder, is expected to miss out, with Jason Sraha likely to come into the back three, while Finn Delap is also set to remain sidelined after missing the previous league outing.

Leyton Orient, meanwhile, remain without Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Ollie O'Neill and Somto Boniface, who are all dealing with injury concerns.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Dane Scarlett is expected to lead the line alongside Irish international Aaron Connolly, who returned to the squad earlier this month for the first time since May.

One potential change could come in midfield, where captain Isaac Hayden may be recalled to the starting lineup after not featuring against Reading on Wednesday.

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:

Addai; Sibbick, Sraha, Tilt; Borges Rodrigues, Krubally, Chauke, Araujo; Vickers, Arubi, Webster

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:

Baxter; Olowu, Forrester, Gilchrist; Stevens, Gilbert, Hayden, Morris; Akhamrich, Scarlett, Connolly

We say: Burton Albion 1-1 Leyton Orient

With both sides level on points and struggling to find consistency, we expect a closely contested encounter in Staffordshire, with neither team doing quite enough to claim all three points.

We predict a 1-1 draw, leaving Burton and Leyton Orient to share the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.