Two sides at opposite ends of the League One table will collide this weekend when Shrewsbury Town take on Charlton Athletic at the Crowd Meadow on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts are currently the first side below the dotted line with just three points after the first five games of the season, while the visitors are fifth with 10 points earned over the same period.
Match preview
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After failing to win any of their final five league matches last season, Shrewsbury's dip in form seems to have carried over to this term, as they find themselves in the drop zone after the first five games of the new campaign.
The Shrews' only points this season came via a 3-0 victory over basement club Leyton Orient at the end of last month, while they have suffered defeat at the hands of Stevenage, Peterborough, Huddersfield and derby rivals Wrexham on either side of that result.
Paul Hurst was especially critical of his side following the defeat to the Robins, with the head coach demanding that his players cut out making poor individual mistakes which have cost them valuable points this term.
Hurst went a step further, suggesting that he may be forced to tinker with his starting 11 to remedy the issues, while also mentioning that he feels his side need to "show more aggression at times" if they want to win.
The victory over the Os is the only one that Salop have managed in regulation time on their home patch this season, with the only other win at this venue coming over Notts County via a penalty shootout in round one of the EFL Cup at the start of last month.
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Meanwhile, after a very poor 16th-placed finish last season, Charlton Athletic have begun the 2024-25 league campaign much more promisingly, with 10 points taken from the first five games, leaving them in the top five in the league standings.
However, after shooting out the blocks with three wins on the bounce at the start of the season, the Addicks are now looking to avoid a third consecutive match without victory, following a 2-0 loss to Reading and a 1-1 draw against Rotherham ahead of the international break.
Notably, while Nathan Jones's men have scored only five goals this term, which is the worst tally of the top seven sides in the division, they have been fairly solid in defence, conceding just three - the third-best record in the league.
The visitors will arrive in Shropshire with confidence, having not been beaten by this opponent in their last five encounters (W3 D2 L0), while they have also avoided defeat at this venue on their last two visits.
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Team News
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Salop captain Carl Winchester, who missed the previous week's match against Leyton Orient due to a hamstring injury, was declared fit for the trip to the Racecourse Ground and featured from the off in midfield.
Josh Feeney and Jordan Rossiter, who have been missing with hamstring and knee issues respectively have been cleared as fully fit and should be in contention for selection this weekend.
Charlton Athletic defender Josh Edwards was stretchered off in the 27th minute at The Valley after a tackle by Sean Clare and has been flagged as a major doubt for this weekend's trip.
Chuks Aneke came off the bench to open his account for the Addicks this season against Rotherham and will be hoping to be given the nod to make the starting 11 this time, potentially in place of Thierry Small.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Savin; Ojo, Feeney, Nsiala, Benning; Winchester, Gilliead; Bloxham, Castledine, Shipley; Lloyd
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Mannion; Mitchell, Jones, Gillesphey; Ramsay, Docherty, Coventry, Berry, Aneke; Godden, Ahadme
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Shrewsbury's only victory this season came over a struggling Leyton Orient, and aside from that match, they have done little to make a case for them to pull off a victory here. For Charlton, the break would have given them a chance to reflect on their errors over the last two games and we feel they will bounce back to winning ways in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
