Shrewsbury Town have an opportunity to advance into the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2014-15 as they host Burnley on Tuesday at New Meadow.
In the opening round, the Shrews won a back-and-forth contest versus Carlisle 3-2, while Burnley squandered a two-goal lead in their Championship affair against Blackpool this weekend, drawing 3-3.
Match preview
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As is often the case for them in these cup ties, the opening match of this tournament for Shrewsbury came down to the wire in an exciting game against League Two side Carlisle.
The Cumbrians gave them all they could handle, going in front after 13 minutes, then levelling the match at two before the Shrews finally got the winner with four minutes to play.
Steve Cotterill is used to seeing his players involved in close encounters like that, having advanced to this point of the competition now on two successive occasions after beating Lincoln City 4-2 in a penalty shootout last season, erasing a two-goal deficit in that fixture.
They are coming off a disappointing performance over the weekend in which the Shrews were defeated handily by Ipswich Town 3-0 in league play, registering just a single shot on target with only 32% possession.
In the early portion of the domestic campaign, Salop have not created many opportunities and rarely threatened their opponents' goal, registering one shot on target or fewer in three of their five League One affairs, while failing to score in four fixtures.
Since 2017-18 it seems as though the Shrews have been merely surviving rather than thriving, finishing the past four domestic seasons in the bottom half of the standings, ending the 2021-22 campaign in 18th, which is precisely where they currently sit with five points.
The last time they made it beyond the second round, Town were one of the Cinderella stories of the competition, blanking Premier League side Leicester City 1-0 in 2014-15, a season before the Foxes would go on to become EPL champions.
Following that upset, Shrewsbury beat Norwich City from the Championship in the next round 1-0, and then lost to Chelsea in the fourth round on an own-goal with nine minutes remaining (2-1).
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We are seeing a much more aggressive style at Burnley under the guidance of Vincent Kompany, but at the moment, frustration seems to be building for the team from Lancashire, who are winless in their last four domestic encounters.
The Clarets got off to a flying start at home to Blackpool on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes and going up 3-1 after minute 33 before losing their focus in the second half.
During this campaign, Burnley have generated over 65% possession in all of their games, while having 70% or more on four occasions.
Kompany has them playing a lot more on the front foot, putting their opponents under pressure in the final third, but this group are struggling to deliver that final blow to the opposition, continuously failing to put a game to bed.
Burnley have advanced beyond this point of the competition in each of their previous two campaigns in dramatic fashion, outlasting both Sheffield and Newcastle United on penalties.
They have not lost to a team in a lower division at this tournament since 2019-20, when the Clarets allowed three unanswered goals to Sunderland after going in front in the 12th minute, eventually falling 3-1.
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Team News
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The Shrews got goals from Luke Leahy, Daniel Udoh and Chey Dunkley in their first-round victory earlier this month, while substitutes Julien Dacosta and Charlie Caton collected assists.
Leahy and Matthew Pennington have the only goals for them domestically this season, with Tom Flanagan picking up the lone assist, while Marko Marosi has two clean sheets in League One play thus far.
Cotterill went with a 3-5-2 formation in their defeat to Ipswich Town, with Tom Bayliss and Jordan Shipley playing just ahead of Leahy, their holding midfielder, with Udoh and Rekeil Pyke leading the line.
Nathan Tella notched a brace for Burnley against Blackpool as he is tied for the team lead in goals alongside Josh Brownhill, who picked up his second of the year, as he and Jay Rodriguez collected assists, putting them within one of teammate Ashley Barnes.
Ian Maatsen was red carded in the 85th minute of that encounter, while Charlie Taylor and Ashley Westwood are looking for their first assists of the campaign after each collecting three in the 2021-22 Premier League season.
Westwood has a broken ankle which will keep him out of the lineup until September, while Scott Twine and Kevin Long are both doubtful with knocks.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan; Pyke, Bayliss, Leahy, Barlow, Shipley; Caton, Udoh
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Egan-Riley, Dodgson; Brownhill, Bastien, Benson; Barnes, Rodriguez, Richardson
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-3 Burnley
In the early portion of the new season Burnley have had the ball throughout the majority of their matches, whereas the Shrews have been forced to sit back and sustain their share of attacks, and given the gap in quality between these two sides, we expect the Clarets to find the back of the net a few times in this encounter, which should be more than enough for them to move into the third round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
