Preview: Wrexham vs. Shrewsbury Town

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

Wrexham will attempt to claim a third consecutive victory when they play host to Shrewsbury Town in Saturday’s League One contest.

The Shrews will have the opportunity to clinch a second straight win after recording a comfortable win over Leyton Orient last weekend.

Match preview
© Imago

Wrexham have made a promising start to their first League One campaign since 2003-04, with their early season form suggesting they could be pushing to secure a third consecutive promotion this season.

After beginning their league campaign with a 3-2 win over Wycombe Wanderers, the Red Dragons went on to play out a goalless draw in their away meeting with Bolton Wanderers.

Phil Parkinson’s side have since claimed back-to-back league victories, cruising to a commanding 3-0 win over Reading before beating Peterborough United 2-0 thanks to efforts from Jack Marriott and Max Cleworth.

Having taken 10 points from four matches, the Red Dragons head into the weekend in second place and as just one of three teams yet to lose a League One game this season.

Wrexham have not faced Shrewsbury in a league game since April 2008, but they did manage to claim a 1-0 win when the two sides met in the third round of the FA Cup in January.

In contrast to their hosts, Shrewsbury experienced a disappointing start to the 2024-25 campaign, losing each of their first three league matches against Stevenage, Peterborough United and Huddersfield Town.

As a result of those three defeats, the Shrews entered last Saturday’s home clash against Leyton Orient on the back of a 10-game winless league run.

With that in mind, Shrewsbury would have been relieved to record a commanding 3-0 victory thanks to a Leo Castledine effort and a Tom Bloxham brace.

After claiming their first League One win since March, the Shrews will now be looking to clinch back-to-back league victories since January 2023.

Shrewsbury have not played a competitive away game against Wrexham since November 2007, but they may still be able to take confidence from the fact they have avoided defeat in each of their previous four away head-to-head meetings (W3, D1).

Wrexham League One form:

Wrexham form (all competitions):

Shrewsbury Town League One form:

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):

Team News
© Imago

Wrexham are still expected to be without the services of defender Jacob Mendy, who is still working his way back to fitness after undergoing hamstring surgery at the tail-end of last season.

Paul Mullin has returned from injury to feature as a substitute in the last two matches, and the Wrexham striker is likely to be given more valuable minutes off the bench in Saturday’s contest.

While Mullin could make a substitute appearance, Ollie Palmer will resume his forward partnership with Marriott, who will be looking to add to the two goals he has scored this season.

As for the visitors, Jordan Rossiter remains sidelined with a knee problem, while Carl Winchester is set to miss a second straight game due to a hamstring issue.

Aaron Pierre and Luca Hoole are both away on international duty, with the pair representing Grenada and Wales Under-21s respectively.

Bloxham is set to be recalled to the starting lineup after he came off the bench to score a brace in the recent win over Leyton Orient.

Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Barnett, Cleworth, O’Connell, O’Connor, McClean; Cannon, Dobson, Lee; Palmer, Marriott

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Savin; Hoole, Feeney, Nsiala, Benning; Gilliead, Perry; Bloxham, Castledine, Shipley; Lloyd

We say: Wrexham 3-1 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury may be in a positive mood after claiming their first win of the season, but we think they could experience disappointment in Saturday’s clash against a Wrexham side that has won both of their two home games this season.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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