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

© 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.

© 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.

Team News

© 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

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.

Previews by email