Burton Albion host Huddersfield Town at the Pirelli Stadium on 3 October 2026, a League One Gameweek 9 fixture between two sides level on 12 points and both sitting inside the play off positions, Burton seventh and Huddersfield just above them in sixth. Three points here would give either side an early foothold in a division where nobody has yet threatened to run away with it.
Bowyer and Drury have a shared professional history: Drury previously assisted Bowyer at Bradford City before going their separate ways. Bowyer took charge of Burton in December 2024 after replacing Mark Robinson, while Drury arrived at Huddersfield on 27 May 2026 following Liam Manning's departure. Drury will know which set piece routines Bowyer leans on and vice versa, which is worth bearing in mind if the game is tight and dead ball moments start to accumulate.
Burton's last five results read W-D-L-D-W, a sequence that includes their first clean sheet of the season following Armer's winner at Plymouth Argyle on 26 September and suggests a back line gradually finding its shape. Huddersfield's run of L-D-D-W-W includes a 2-1 defeat at Bromley around 19 September, yet they have gone unbeaten in four of their last five while conceding fewer goals than most teams currently above them in the table.
Burton are without Joe Lewis (broken toe), Toby Sibbick (international duty with Uganda) and Mark O'Mahony (knee issue), with Curtis Tilt carrying extra defensive responsibility as a result. Huddersfield travel without leading scorer Joe Taylor, who is away with Wales and are also missing Jack Whatmough through a calf injury relapse, with Derensili Sanches Fernandes a doubt from a knee niggle. Losing Taylor removes Huddersfield's most reliable attacking reference point and Drury will need his other forwards to shoulder the goalscoring burden Taylor has carried all season.
Bowyer has built Burton's system around set piece routines and quick transitions, giving Armer licence to arrive late into the box and Vickers freedom to run in behind and Armer's goal at Plymouth was a textbook example of both. Without Lewis and Sibbick, the back line may sit deeper than usual, which will likely hand Huddersfield more possession, though Burton have shown they can hurt teams quickly before they reset. The key tactical question is whether Huddersfield's press can prevent Burton from playing through it quickly: if Tilt wins the first ball and turns it forward, the hosts have the personnel to make Huddersfield pay. Huddersfield's defensive record, conceding fewer goals than most clubs currently above them, is their strongest collective asset but without Taylor, Drury's other forward options remain largely untested at this level and Burton's home resilience suggests they will sit deep and make the visitors work for every chance.
Burton have won three of their last four meetings with Huddersfield. The last two fixtures at the Pirelli alone produced a 6-1 aggregate in Burton's favour, a 3-0 in April 2025 followed by a 3-1 in January 2026.
Burton have built much of their recent improvement around dead ball situations, with Tilt a presence at both ends and Armer making late runs to the back post from corners. Huddersfield will need to stay organised from set pieces while also looking to get in behind on the break once they win the ball back. With both sides short of key defenders, a set piece or a transition moment is the likeliest route to a goal rather than anything built through sustained possession.
We are going with 1-2 to Huddersfield. Burton's home record and set piece threat mean the visitors cannot afford a slow start and the combined loss of Lewis, Sibbick and O'Mahony leaves the hosts' defensive cohesion fragile at exactly the wrong moment. Without Taylor, Huddersfield will be blunter in attack than usual but with their defensive record holding even without Whatmough and Burton's back line short of two starters, the visitors are the more structurally intact side and should have just enough to take it.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
