Burton Albion and Shrewsbury Town meet on Saturday afternoon aware that they can each ill-afford to suffer defeat at the Pirelli Stadium.
These two teams sit in 24th and 23rd position in the League One table, the home side still searching for their first victory in the third tier.
Match preview
© Imago
Having reached October 22 without posting a league win after a summer of change, it came as no surprise when Burton's hierarchy chose to part ways with Mark Robinson.
In the matches that have followed, caretaker boss Tom Hounsell has brought an air of calm to the situation, prioritising tightening things up at the back.
After eight matches where Burton had conceded at least twice in every outing, the Brewers have since shipped just once in three games under Hounsell.
Most recently, a 1-0 victory over non-league Scarborough Athletic in the FA Cup first round was followed by a goalless draw at home to fellow strugglers Crawley Town.
While it extended their run of league matches without success to 13 games, Burton at least remained within six points of moving outside of the relegation zone.
Shrewsbury have also taken the decision to begin a new era by sacking Paul Hurst after last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Salford City in the FA Cup.
That defeat made it just one win in 12 for Shrewsbury - a 5-3 triumph away at Crawley - and such a run also led to their chairman offering to resign, a gesture that was rejected.
Salop may be three points better off than their next opponents in the standings but they have lost two more games than their hosts.
These clubs have also scored and conceded (13 to 25) the same amount, albeit with Burton playing one game fewer than the visitors.
Team News
Barring any fitness issues, Housnell may consider selecting the same Burton XI that competed well against Crawley.
Billy Bodin is an option to be recalled in the final third, but 17-year-old Romelle Donovan could remain among the replacements.
Former Chelsea youngster Charlie Webster has been a difference maker in midfield and should retain his place.
The Shrewsbury starting lineup is a complete unknown with the caretaker management team needing to decide whether to stick with a back three.
If changes are made, Alex Gilliead, Leo Castledine and Tom Bloxham are all options to return to the team.
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Bannon, Vancouten, Sweeney, Armer; Watt, Webster; Whitfield, Bodin, Kalinauskas; Orsi
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Savin; Hoole, Feeney, Benning; Winchester, Ojo, O'Reilly, Sagoe Jr; Marquis, Lloyd, Nsiala
We say: Burton Albion 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
With two fresh faces at the helm, this may turn out to be a different type of game than it would have been two weeks ago. Nevertheless, the respective teams know they cannot afford to lose this game, leading us to predict a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
