Latics will be hoping to earn a place in the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday when they host Sky Bet League One side Burton Albion (3pm KO).
It’s nearly been a month since Oldham played on home turf go into the game on the back of a crucial 1-0 win against Newport County.
Form Guide
The victory at Rodney Parade means that Maamria's side have lost just one of their last six games in all competitions and are unbeaten in four in the league.
Meanwhile Burton also go into the fixture with confidence, winning their mid-table Sky Bet League One clash at Sunderland on Tuesday evening.
Brewers Last Six
- Doncaster Rovers 2-2 Burton Albion
- Salford City 1-1 Burton Albion (FA Cup)
- Burton Albion 1-2 Mansfield (EFL Trophy)
- Burton Albion 4-1 Salford City (FA Cup)
- Peterborough United 1-0 Burton Albion
- Sunderland 1-2 Burton Albion
Head-to-Head
Latics have faced off against Burton Albion three times in the FA Cup before, in 2002 were Oldham needed a replay to go through and in 2011 when again Oldham progressed through to the next round.
Oldham Athletic 3-1 Burton Albion – 12th November 2011
Oldham progressed into the Second Round of the FA Cup, beating Burton 3-1. It was an uphill struggle for the visitors as Brewers defender Ryan Austin was shown a red card in the opening few minutes as a result of a foul that also gave away a penalty.
Shefki Kuqi fired in the spot kick and goals from Robbie Simpson and Dean Furman saw Latics go into the break with a three-goal lead.
Zola’s goal in the 71st minute proved to be nothing more than a consolation and Latics place in the Second Round draw was confirmed.
Route To Round Two
Latics made it to the Second Round with a 2-1 win against National League North side Gateshead.
Meanwhile Burton progressed through their tie with Salford City. The Brewers needed a replay after a 1-1 draw at the Peninsula Stadium but they triumphed 4-1 at the Pirelli to claim their place in the Second Round.
What We Said
Dino Maamria: "It’s a very important game for us, I've emphasised that a lot to our players. Some of them were here last season, some of them know the history of Oldham Athletic and some of them don't, so I had to share the 'cup fever' with them and what it means to Oldham Athletic and the town.
"Regardless, it is an important game for us. I think we are in a good moment and we’ve been improving.
"It’s a tough game against Burton Albion, we saw them when they beat Sunderland. That doesn’t mean anything though on Saturday in a knockout game.
"We’ve got to make sure we are ready physically and mentally to cause an upset. That’s our focus."
What They Said
Nigel Clough: "The FA Cup is very important for every financially, the prize money to get through the second round and then the third round, they will be as desperate as we are.
"They had a great win last week at Newport 1-0 away so that will have buoyed them, it’s a very difficult place to go Newport and not many people come back from there with a result so I think that it will be equally as tough if not more so than Salford away a few weeks ago.
"We have got a few niggles and the squad is stretched again but we will shuffle it around the best we can to get everyone on the pitch when we can in the next three games.
"Richard Nartey and John Brayford are both doubts for tomorrow, Scotty Fraser is struggling with his hip which he has been carrying for a few weeks. Stephen Quinn got a couple of whacks the other night and did well to finish the game. Nathan Broadhead is struggling but has a chance for the home games next week.
"There are one or two carrying things – it’s a case of what they can do in the next seven days and how we plan it."
Watch Out For
Stephen Quinn – The 33-year-old Irish international joined the Brewers in 2018 and has wealth of experience to call upon.
Quinn played in the Premier League for Hull City and even scored in the FA Cup semi-final win against his former club Sheffield United in 2014. Quinn would play in the final but the Tigers lost the game to Arsenal.
The midfielder is well known for his prowess at set pieces so Latics will have to be wary of the threat that he poses.
Quinn has scored one league goal in the 22 league appearances that he has made for Burton to date.
In The Dugout
In the away dugout on Saturday will be Nigel Clough.
The son of the legendary Brian Clough has been Brewers boss since December 2015 and oversaw the club’s promotion to the Championship in 2016.
This current stint is the second time that Clough has been the boss at Burton, he took over the player-manager role in 1998 and carried this role on till 2008, making 227 appearances for the club.
In between his two spells with Burton Albion, Clough managed Derby County and Sheffield United.
'Special Brew' Stat
Burton Albion have scored more goals away from home in 2019 than anyone else in the top four flights of English football.
The Brewers have scored 36 on the road this year which is one more than Premier League champions Manchester City.
Familiar Faces
Matt Palmer has played for both Oldham Athletic and Burton Albion.
The Derby born midfielder started his career with the Brewers and he made 136 league appearances between 2016 and 2018 for the club.
It was during this time that Palmer would arrive at Boundary Park on loan. Palmer made 14 league appearances for Latics, scoring one goal.
He joined Rotherham United for an undisclosed fee in 2018 but has joined up with Bradford City on loan for the whole of this season.
Tomas Egert is a current Latics defender but has also turned out for Burton Albion.
Egert had a year out of football after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament whilst he was on trial to find a new club after his release from Albion.
In August 2019 Egert returned to the Football League, joining Oldham Athletic on a free transfer.
Ticket Information
Reduced admission has been agreed by both clubs and is as follows:
- Adults - £15
- Concessions (O65/U21) - £6
- Children (U12) - £3
Season ticket reservations have now been lifted with pay-on-the-gate for home supporters at no price increase. The game is all-pay.
How To Follow The Game
Live commentary is available on iFollow Latics with Mike Leyland and Roy Butterworth who will be talking you through the match.
The iFollow video match pass is not available overseas due to it being a non-EFL cup comeptition.
To subscribe for the fixture, click here.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.