Crawley Town are set to take on Shrewsbury in League One this weekend with both teams looking for a win to move away from the relegation zone.
Only two matches are taking place in the division this week which means this is also an opportunity for both sides to steal a march on those around them.
As things stand, Crawley are fourth from bottom in League One while Shrewsbury are one place lower making this a relegation battle six-pointer.
How the bookies view it: The hosts are the favourites
The bookies have priced Crawley Town as the favourites for this match but they aren't overly confident and have priced all three results in a similar way. A home win has been priced at 6/5 by Betfred while a victory for Shrewsbury has been priced at 21/10. The draw, which wouldn't be a bad result for either team, has been priced by 13/5.
Recent head-to-head: A first meeting in 10 years
This is the first time since 2014 that Crawley Town and Shrewsbury have met thanks to the home team's absence from the third tier. In years gone by, Shrewsbury have had the upper hand in this fixture and they are unbeaten in their last five matches against the Red Devils. The two most recent fixtures finished 1-1 which makes 13/5 on the draw a very appealing price.
Players to watch: Goals from midfield
Neither of these two teams have a natural goalscorer at the top end of the pitch which means they often rely on their midfielders for goals.
So far this season, Leo Castledine, a teenager on loan from Chelsea, is Shrewsbury's joint-top goalscorer with two league strikes to his name since moving from Stamford Bridge. The 19-year-old is tipped for a career at a higher level than this but he is applying himself well in the third tier and already looks like he will be a key player for Shrewsbury this season.
Meanwhile, Crawley's top scorer this season is Junior Quitirna. The 24-year-old signed for the club this summer from Fleetwood and has wasted no time in settling it. Quitirna already has three goals to his name from midfield this season and with Crawley in desperate need of a win, they will turn to him again on Saturday.
Predicted line-ups
Crawley have a goalkeeper crisis on their hands with Eddie Beach and Ryan Sandford both injured and Jojo Wollacott away on international duty with Ghana. Shrewsbury are missing two important players for this clash with midfielder, Jordan Shipley, and striker, Joshua Kayode, both out injured.
Crawley Town: Trueman – Forster, Mullarkey, Barker, Flint, Kelly – Ibrahim, Williams, Quitirna – Darcy, Swan
Shrewsbury: Savin – Winchester, Nsiala, Feeney, Benning – Ojo, Rossiter, Castledine – Gilliead, Sagoe Jr, Lloyd
Anything else catch the eye?
Crawley Town are struggling for goals in recent weeks and it's difficult to see that changing this week. They have failed to score in each of their last three League One matches and they are priced at 11/4 with Betfred to score under 0.5 goals on Saturday.
This English League One match between Crawley Town and Shrewsbury will be played on Oct 12, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Crawley Town vs Shrewsbury prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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