Shrewsbury Town will aim to break a six-game winless run in League One on Saturday, when they welcome Lincoln City to New Meadow.
The Shrews have dropped to 16th spot in the league table as a result of their tough form, but they were able to advance to the third round of the FA Cup with a win over Peterborough United last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
Shrewsbury Town enjoyed a positive start to the new League One season under the management of Steve Cotterill, amassing 21 points from the opening 13 matches having put six victories on the board.
They have since hit a much tougher spell, failing to add another notch to that wins column in six attempts, with consecutive triumphs over MK Dons and Fleetwood Town in mid-October immediately following by defeats at the hands of Charlton Athletic and Plymouth Argyle.
Encouraging draws against Portsmouth and Oxford United then followed, but the Shropshire outfit were unable to build on those with a league victory, having now lost both of their last two third-tier fixtures by a goal to nil against Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday.
While their tough run of form has coincided with an unenviable set of fixtures against some of the league's leading sides, the mood in the Salop camp will have been lifted last weekend, as Cotterill's men booked their place in the FA Cup third round with a 3-1 beating of Peterborough United, as Tom Bayliss, Matthew Pennington and Luke Leahy all got on the scoresheet in the first half.
Now likely with a confidence boost from that triumph, the Shrews will turn their attention back to League One and look for a first win in seven to avoid dropping any further than their current position in 16th spot.
© Reuters
They welcome a Lincoln City side who arrive looking to extend their unbeaten run to four games in League One and five in all competitions.
Following a defeat to Port Vale at the end of October and a draw with Accrington Stanley, the Imps were dumped out of the FA Cup in disappointing fashion, losing 1-0 away at National League South strugglers Chippenham Town in the first round, but they have since bounced back impressively, firstly triumphing 3-1 away at Bristol City in an EFL Cup tie, as Matty Virtue, Ben House and Paudie O'Connor all got on the scoresheet.
Mark Kennedy's side would then earn a commendable point from a 1-1 draw with league leaders Plymouth Argyle, thanks to Max Sanders's equaliser on the stroke of half time, and they would return to winning ways in their last league outing, beating Morecambe 2-1 on home turf in mid-November with House again on the scoresheet alongside Joe Walsh.
They now come into Saturday's contest relatively well rested, having not been involved in the FA Cup action over the weekend, with the Imps' last game coming the previous Tuesday in the EFL Trophy, when they again met Morecambe and booked a place in the third round with a penalty shootout triumph after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Kennedy's men will now turn their focus back to England's third tier, and having risen to ninth spot with just a four-point gap to the playoffs, they will go in search of a seventh three-point haul of the campaign to continue their climb.
Team News
© Reuters
Shrewsbury continue to deal with an unenviable list of injuries, as key men Daniel Udoh and George Nurse are out for the majority of the campaign while Elliott Bennett, Julien Dacosta and Aiden O'Brien also remain sidelined.
Summer signing Chey Dunkley has been an ever-present in their 19 league games thus far since arriving from Sheffield Wednesday, and he will again feature in a back three alongside Matthew Pennington and Tom Flanagan.
It is going forward where they have struggled, with Pennington and midfielders Jordan Shipley and Tom Bayliss the only players to reach three league goals so far, and the latter will be heavily relied upon to support the front line, with Christian Saydee set to lead the attack alongside either Rob Street or Ryan Bowman.
Lincoln, on the other hand, have several danger men in attack, with striker Ben House and winger Jack Diamond each boasting five goals in 15 and 12 League One appearances respectively.
Kennedy will line up the Imps in a 3-4-3 setup, with Charles Vernam likely completing the front three, while Blackpool loanee Matty Virtue should again join Max Sanders in midfield.
Paudie O'Connor has established himself as a key man in defence since joining from Bradford City before the start of the season, and he should again be joined by Timothy Eyoma and Joe Walsh in the back three, with Regan Poole and Jamie Robson operating as wing-backs.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan; Moore, Winchester, Leahy, Shipley; Bayliss; Saydee, Street
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; Eyoma, O'Connor, Walsh; Poole, Virtue, Sanders, Robson; Diamond, House, Vernam
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Lincoln City
While Shrewsbury are lacking form in League One, they should take confidence from last week's victory over Peterborough, and with home advantage we back them to at least take a point against an improving Lincoln side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
