Danny Cowley will take charge of his second game as Portsmouth manager on Saturday, as his side travel to New Meadow to take on Shrewsbury Town.
Cowley began his tenure with a win over Ipswich Town last time out, while Shrewsbury also recorded a victory, defeating Burton Albion 2-1 away from home.
Match preview
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The Shrews recorded a 2-1 victory away at 18th-placed Burton Albion last time out, as Curtis Main and Harry Chapman found the net before Sean Clare pulled a goal back for the hosts on the hour mark.
That win moved them five points ahead of Burton Albion, while they now sit comfortably in 17th spot, 12 points ahead of the drop zone thanks to their run of form which has seen them pick up eight points from their last four games.
That run included an impressive 1-1 draw at home to league leaders Hull City, as Salop put an end to the Tigers' five-game winning run thanks to an own goal by Hull goalkeeper Matt Ingram.
While he is at home continuing his recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia, manager Steve Cotterill will be hoping that his side can pick up another positive result on Saturday, which should all but confirm their safety.
That will be no easy task though, as they welcome a Portsmouth side who will be looking for back-to-back wins under new manager Danny Cowley.
In Cowley's first game at the club last Saturday, Portsmouth recorded an important 2-1 win at home to fellow playoff chasers Ipswich Town.
James Norwood gave the visitors the lead, but Tom Naylor quickly equalised before Marcus Harness eventually netted the winner after 72 minutes to seal all three points for Pompey.
That broke a run of four consecutive league defeats for Portsmouth, which, along with an EFL Trophy final defeat to Salford City, saw former manager Kenny Jackett dismissed.
The task for Cowley will now be to get Pompey back into the playoff spots, and that remains a real possibility as they sit just one point behind sixth-placed Blackpool.
However, with just four points between fifth place and 12th place, the battle for the playoff places is hotly contested, and Cowley's men will have to be at the top of their game to break into the top six.
That means he will be desperate to add a second consecutive win on Saturday, as they look to gain more ground on the sides battling it out above them.
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Team News
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Shrewsbury Town will come into this game without their captain Oliver Norburn, who was forced off through injury in the draw with Hull and missed the recent win over Burton.
Defender Aaron Pierre is nearing a return to full fitness after two months on the sidelines, but he will not be risked too early.
Right-back Donald Love is also nearing a return to the squad, but again will not be thrown in too early, especially given the strong performances of Joshua Daniels in his absence.
Harry Chapman and Curtis Main should form the front line once again on Saturday after they both netted goals in the 2-1 win over Burton.
Portsmouth will be without forward Ellis Harrison, who has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury, despite going on to play three games after he had picked up the issue.
However, they were boosted by the return of winger Michael Jacobs from an injury setback, as he came off the bench last time out.
They have been handed several other boosts too, as key players in striker John Marquis and defender Callum Johnson look to have returned to full fitness, and could offer a major boost to Cowley's side if they are fit enough to make the starting squad.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Burgoyne; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell, Williams; Daniels, Davis, Goss, Vela, Ogbeta; Chapman, Main
Portsmouth possible starting lineup:
MacGillivray; Johnson, Raggett, Whatmough, Brown; Harness, Naylor, Cannon, Curtis; Marquis, Hiwula
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Portsmouth
Although the Shrews look resilient and have enjoyed an upturn in form recently, we see Portsmouth, boosted by the appointment of Cowley, recording a second consecutive victory on Saturday.
If Marquis is fit to return to the starting squad, he could prove a real difference maker for Pompey, and we expect their quality to shine through in a hard-fought win at New Meadow.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Portsmouth win with a probability of 42.18%. A win for Shrewsbury Town had a probability of 30.9% and a draw had a probability of 26.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Portsmouth win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.38%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.66%) and 0-2 (7.73%). The likeliest Shrewsbury Town win was 1-0 (9.41%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.76%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Portsmouth would win this match.
