MX23RW : Friday, February 4 17:46:27| >> :120:19226:19226:
Feb 5, 2022 at 3pm UK at Greenhous Meadow
ShrewsburyShrewsbury Town
vs.
FleetwoodFleetwood Town

Preview: Shrewsbury Town vs. Fleetwood Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's League One clash between Shrewsbury Town and Fleetwood Town, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

With just two points and two places separating the sides in the League One table, Shrewsbury Town and Fleetwood Town will do battle at New Meadow on Saturday.

Having both drawn their last two outings, the hosts sit 17th in England's third tier while their visitors occupy 19th place, two points worse off with a game in hand.


Match preview

Shrewsbury Town's manager Steve Cotterill on January 15, 2022© Reuters

After a difficult start to the League One season, Shrewsbury Town looked to have corrected their form around the turn of the year, going unbeaten for a five-game run and picking up victories over Cheltenham Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Fleetwood Town to collect 11 points and climb the table.

The clash with Saturday's opponents on Boxing Day ended in a resounding 3-0 victory for the Shrews, as Ryan Bowman, Josh Vela and Daniel Udoh all netted goals in a dominant away performance at Highbury.

However, Steve Cotterill's side have been unable to extend that improvement, having now earned just three points from their last four outings, most recently playing out draws with Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon - two sides sitting in the bottom five of the table.

As a result, the Shrews have fallen back down the table, and, with four sides relegated to League Two, Cotterill's men sit just four points clear of the drop zone, and they will look to put a crucial victory on the board to move further away from their opponents and the bottom four.

Shrewsbury Town's Josh Vela celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on December 26, 2021© Reuters

Fleetwood arrive in a similar position to their hosts, as they look to put crucial distance between themselves and the threat of relegation.

After a poor run of eight games producing just two points between October and December, The Cod Army sat in an unenviable position at the bottom end of England's third tier, before they made a crucial improvement, winning four of the following six games.

Alongside a 3-0 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers, the most notable of those was the latest victory, a 1-0 win over league leaders Rotherham United thanks to Anthony Pilkington's last-gasp winner.

That was followed by a defeat to Charlton Athletic, before Stephen Crainey's side played out back-to-back draws heading into Saturday, with Pilkington again being the injury-time hero in the former as he salvaged a point in a 3-3 stalemate with Plymouth Argyle.

Following their upturn in form since early December, producing 15 points in nine games, the Cod Army now sit 19th, although, with only two points between themselves and the bottom four, they will be desperate for another vital victory while keeping a game in hand on most sides around them.

Shrewsbury Town League One form:
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • D

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • D

Fleetwood Town League One form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D



Team News

Shrewsbury Town's Daniel Udoh celebrates scoring their first goal with Luke Leahy on January 9, 2022© Reuters

While Shrewsbury are unlikely to miss any players through injury, talented full-back Nathanael Ogbeta did depart for Swansea City on transfer deadline day, leaving Cotterill to find a replacement in his squad.

Otherwise, the back line should remain constant after a series of relatively solid performances, although centre-back Tom Flanagan has arrived from Sunderland to bolster the ranks.

Daniel Udoh will continue to lead the line, having netted his eighth league goal of the season last time out, while strike partner Ryan Bowman also has six goals to his name.

Fleetwood's squad also took a hit on deadline day, as midfielder Jay Matete was snapped up by Sunderland.

In his absence, Daniel Batty, Callum Camps and Paddy Lane should again line up as a midfield three, with the latter getting on the scoresheet to earn a point against Cambridge last time out.

Further forward, Anthony Pilkington will hope to earn a starting spot in the front line after his recent heroics, although an own goal off the bench last weekend may have harmed his cause.

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell, Flanagan; Bennett, Fornah, Davis, Vela, Nurse; Bowman, Udoh

Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:
Cairns; Johnson, Clarke, Jules, Andrew; Batty, Camps, Lane; Pilkington, Harrison, Harrop


SM words green background

We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Fleetwood Town

While Shrewsbury picked up a dominant 3-0 win in the reverse fixture, we see this being a far tighter affair, with two sides desperate to climb away from the bottom end of the division.

On this occasion, we cannot quite split the teams who are both looking to end brief winless runs, with their efforts likely to cancel one another out in a tense battle.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 2.5:data


ID:477109:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10631:

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Who will win Saturday's League One clash between Shrewsbury and Fleetwood?

Shrewsbury Town
Draw
Fleetwood Town
Shrewsbury Town
0.0%
Draw
100%
Fleetwood Town
0.0%
1
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
MK Dons' Matt O'Riley celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on January 11, 2022
Read Next:
Tuesday's League One predictions including Burton Albion vs. MK Dons
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1 28185553183559
2 26175448252356
3 29166753391454
4 29157748321652
5 29157746341252
6 29148751341750
7 28138747351247
8 28121063932746
9 29118104738941
10 28116113534139
11 28115124137438
12 2710893027338
13 29910103842-437
14 28107113545-1037
15 28106123633336
16 29712103448-1433
17 2988132731-432
18 2787123236-431
19 2879124249-730
20 28612103442-830
21 2977154057-1728
22 2957172448-2422
23 29410152451-2722
24 2954202057-3719

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Match previews - Daily
Transfer Talk Daily
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!