Shrewsbury Town take on Bristol Rovers at Montgomery Waters Meadow on Tuesday evening, in what is their penultimate game of the League One season.
With Shrewsbury in 13th and the Gas in 15th, both sides have little to play for at this stage of the campaign, although the visitors could leapfrog their opponents in the table with a victory.
Match preview
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As we approach the end of the season, Shrewsbury can look back on a solid, if not spectacular season, with a top-half finish still within reach depending on how they fare in their final two games.
Salop finished the 2021-22 campaign on 50 points, while they have already acquired 56 this season, so some progress has been made, although they have really started to go off the boil in recent weeks.
Steve Cotterill's have lost seven of their last eight League One games, drawing the other, and they have scored just three goals in the process, although it must be noted they have come up against seven of the division's current top eight.
After a very tough run of games, Shrewsbury will be glad to be coming up against teams of a similar standard as the season draws to a close, with a trip to 11th-placed Lincoln City pencilled in next weekend.
Salop will want to finish the campaign on a high after their torrid form, and a victory on Tuesday would move them into the top half of the League One table, but they have a terrible recent record against their opponents, winning just one of the last seven encounters.
Bristol Rovers' form has dipped in the latter stages of the season, having also taken on some of the division's best teams, drawing 0-0 against Peterborough United in their most recent outing.
The Gas are now five games without a win in League One, and they have failed to score in their last three matches. However, all things considered, their 2022-23 campaign has to be considered a success.
Joey Barton's side were only promoted to the third tier last season, so they have done very well to avoid being embroiled in the relegation battle, currently sitting nine points above the bottom four.
The Rovers could still finish inside the top half, and they will overtake their opponents if they win by a two-goal margin on Tuesday, as a result of their superior record in front of goal.
Team News
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Shrewsbury have had several injury issues to deal with in recent weeks, with Tom Bayliss and Dan Udoh missing a number of matches, and the duo are expected to be ruled out again.
In the absence of Udoh, Rob Street and Christian Saydee could lead the line for Salop, while Killian Phillips is poised to keep his place in attacking midfield due to Bayliss's ankle issue.
Bristol Rovers manager Barton could bring Anthony Evans back into the midfield, as he has now served his one-game ban after picking up two yellow cards against Plymouth Argyle.
Aaron Collins has weighed in with 16 goals and 11 assists in the third tier this season, recently being named League One Player of the Year in April for his efforts, and the 25-year-old is a sure-fire starter on the left-wing.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Flanagan, Dunkley, Moore; Bennett, Winchester, Shipley, Leahy, Phillips; Street, Saydee
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Gibbons, Quansah, Gibson, Gordon; Ward, Bogarde, Finley, Collins; Loft, Coburn
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Both sides have had very difficult fixtures in recent weeks, so it is perhaps unfair to be overly critical about their poor form, but they will have a point to prove on Monday, even if the game ultimately does not count for much.
Given that very little separates the two teams in the table, however, we think the most likely result is a draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
