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

Both Shrewsbury Town and Accrington Stanley will be looking to make it three League One victories in a row when they lock horns in Shropshire on Wednesday night.

Shrewsbury will enter the clash off the back of a 3-0 win at Fleetwood Town on Boxing Day, while Accrington recorded a 1-0 victory over Rotherham United on the same afternoon.

Match preview

Back-to-back wins over Cheltenham Town and Fleetwood have moved Shrewsbury up into 18th position in the League One table, boasting a points tally of 25 points from 23 matches.

Steve Cotterill's side are now five points clear of the relegation zone and actually only four points behind 11th-placed Ipswich Town, which is an indication of how quickly things can change in the third tier.

Shrewsbury were in impressive form against Fleetwood last time out, with the visitors scoring three times in the second period to secure all three points in Lancashire.

The Shrews, who finished 17th in League One last season, will now go in search of their eighth league victory of the campaign against an Accrington side that currently sit 10th in the third tier.

Shrewsbury have been excellent at home in the league this season, winning four of their last five matches, including successive victories over Charlton Athletic and Cheltenham.

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Accrington, meanwhile, will also enter Wednesday's contest off the back of successive wins, having overcome Bolton Wanderers and Rotherham United, both by a single goal, in their last two encounters.

John Coleman's side secured all three points against table-topping Rotherham on Boxing Day courtesy of a 75th-minute effort from Sean McConville.

The visitors should therefore be full of confidence heading into this match, and they are only six points off the playoffs at this stage, boasting a record of 10 wins, three draws and 10 defeats from 23 matches.

Accrington finished 11th in the third tier last season; it would not be a surprise to see them in a similar position come the end of the campaign, but another victory on Wednesday would keep them in touch with the top six.

Stanley recorded a 1-0 victory when they locked horns with Shrewsbury earlier this season, while they are unbeaten in their last four contests with Wednesday's opponents.

Team News

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Shrewsbury do not have any fresh fitness or suspension concerns from their clash on Boxing Day, so it would not be a surprise to see Cotterill name the same starting XI.

The relatively quick turnaround means that the head coach will be considering potential alterations, and the likes of Sam Cosgrove and Rekeil Pyke are in contention to come into the side.

The manner of the performance against Fleetwood could see the same team sent onto the field, though, with Ryan Bowman and Dominic Udoh playing as the front two.

As for Accrington, Mitch Clark came into the starting side for the clash with Rotherham, and the defender is expected to keep his spot in the first XI for this game.

Liam Coyle was replaced early in the second half on Sunday, though, and could now drop out of the side, with Matthew Butcher in line to feature in midfield.

John O'Sullivan also came off the bench against Rotherham but is unlikely to be handed a starting role, with 19-year-old Jovan Malcolm expected to feature once again.

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

Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Savin; Sykes, Nottingham, Amankwah; Clark, Butcher, Leigh, Hamilton; Malcolm, Bishop, McConville

We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Accrington Stanley

Both sides will enter this match in good confidence and will fancy their chances of putting another three points on the board; we are expecting it to be a tight affair, though, and have had to settle on a score draw.

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