Crewe Alexandra will be hosting Rotherham United at the Alexandra Stadium on Tuesday as both teams will be in search for a place in the EFL Trophy quarter-finals.
The visitors returned to the top of the table with a narrow victory, while the hosts will be looking to bounce back from their defeat in the league action on New Year’s Day.
Crewe had a disappointing start into the year on Saturday, where Burton Albion comprehensively saw them off by a 4-1 scoreline at the Pirelli Stadium.
The Railway men were heavily defeated that day, and the result saw them drop a place in the League One table to sit 23rd, with four points now between them and Fleetwood Town outside of the relegation places.
Tuesday’s cup fixture against Rotherham will be a welcome distraction from Crewe’s dreadful league campaign so far, as they look to secure their spot in the next round of a competition they are yet to concede this season.
Meanwhile, Rotherham’s narrow 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday proved enough to lift Paul Warne’s side back to the top of the league.
Michael Smith was again the hero for the Millers, as his 13th and 14th goals of the season proved to be the difference in a tight clash that his side were far from their best in.
However, the result was the important thing for Rotherham in that match, as victory was the perfect way to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day.
The Boxing Day loss was most hurting for Rotherham as it ended their 21-game unbeaten run across all competitions, in what has been an incredible season for the Millers to this point.
Their focus now remains on finishing the season with a trophy and promotion back to the Championship.
Crewe Alexandra vs Rotherham United head to head
The two teams have previously met on 24 occasions across all competitions, where Crewe have taken 8 victories while Rotherham have 7, and they have drawn in 9. Both teams have scored 37 goals. In their last five encounters, both have won once and they have drawn in three.
Rotherham United 1-1 Crewe Alexandra 06/03/12
Crewe Alexandra 3-3 Rotherham United 03/08/13
Rotherham United 4-2 Crewe Alexandra 11/04/14
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Rotherham United 04/11/17
Rotherham United 1-1 Crewe Alexandra 25/09/21
Crewe Alexandra latest home form
Crewe lost their last home game 2-0 to Sheffield Wednesday on December 11. However, they have been on a good form at home, as they have not lost in any of their last five matches prior to that. They have recently defeated Doncaster Rovers 2-0 in the EFL Trophy competition.
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Sandbach United 16/11/21
Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Gillingham 20/11/21
Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Doncaster Rovers 01/12/21
Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Lincoln City 07/12/21
Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday 11/12/21
Crewe Alexandra latest away form
Crewe have been on a poor form on the road, as they have have won just once in their last five away matches in the league, with the victory coming when they defeated Morecambe 2-1 on December 29. In their last five, they have scored 6 goals and conceded 12.
Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Crewe Alexandra 12/11/21
AFC Wimbledon 3-2 Crewe Alexandra 23/11/21
Ipswich Town 2-1 Crewe Alexandra 28/11/21
Morecambe 1-2 Crewe Alexandra 29/12/21
Burton Albion 4-1 Crewe Alexandra 01/01/22
Rotherham United latest home form
Rotherham have been on an impressive run of form at home, as they have gone unbeaten in more than ten matches. They have recently defeated Port Vale through penalty shootouts after a 1-1 draw in the EFL Trophy, and 1-0 over Stockport County in the FA Cup competitions in November and December.
Rotherham United (P)1-1 Port Vale 30/11/21
Rotherham United 1-0 Stockport County 03/12/21
Rotherham United 5-1 Gillingham 07/12/21
Rotherham United 3-1 Burton Albion 11/12/21
Rotherham United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers 01/01/22
Rotherham United latest away form
Rotherham lost in their last away match 1-0 Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day. However, they have been on a good run of form on the road, having not lost in more than ten matches prior to that. In their last five away matches, they have won two, drawn two and lost one.
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Rotherham United 02/11/21
Ipswich Town 0-2 Rotherham United 23/11/21
Oxford United 0-0 Rotherham United 27/11/21
Cambridge United 0-1 Rotherham United 18/12/21
Accrington Stanley 1-0 Rotherham United 26/12/21
Crewe Alexandra news
Top scorer Mikael Mandron should lead the line again on Tuesday, while Will Jaaskelainen should regain his spot in goal, with Dave Richards dropping out of the starting XI.
Scott Robertson, Donervon Daniels and Terell Thomas will be pushing for starts, as David Artell could look to rotate his side.
Rotherham United news
As for Rotherham, Mickel Miller will not be available once more on Tuesday after the forward missed the game against Bolton Wanderers due to a hamstring injury.
Angus MacDonald continues to near his return from long-term injury, but will remain out of the squad until at least the end of January.
Prediction and Odds
Crewe have been putting up some good performance recently, but they have failed in consistency, and that could be a negative entering this fixture.
Rotherham have been on another level of home, and despite Crewe being able to score, we see the visitors coming out strong to secure the victory.
Odds: 1 2.80 X 3.05 2 2.30
Probable outcomes
Crewe Alexandra 0-1 Rotherham United
Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Rotherham United
Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Rotherham United
Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Rotherham United
Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Rotherham United
