Preview: Salford City vs Shrewsbury Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Salford City will welcome fellow League Two side Shrewsbury Town to the Peninsula Stadium for Saturday's EFL Cup tie.

This represents the first of two meetings between the two sides in August, with Salford set to travel to New Meadow for a league fixture at the end of the month.

Match preview

Salford will compete in the fourth tier for an eighth consecutive season after falling short in the playoffs last term.

After missing out on automatic promotion, the fourth-placed side came through a dramatic semi-final tie against Grimsby Town before being comfortably beaten 3-0 by Notts County in May's final at Wembley.

Having put that disappointment behind them, Salford are now looking forward to a new era after undergoing a major rebrand led by the co-ownership of David Beckham and Gary Neville.

Supporters voted to revert to the club's original orange colours and introduce a new club crest ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Ange Postecoglou's former assistant, Peter Cklamovski, who replaced Karl Robinson earlier this summer, has overseen a positive pre-season that yielded three consecutive wins before a draw against Bradford City last Saturday.

Cklamovski will be hoping to lead the club into the second round of the EFL Cup, which would be no mean feat for a side that has fallen at this stage in four of the last five seasons.

In contrast to their hosts, Shrewsbury experienced a difficult 2025-26 League Two campaign, mustering 49 points from 46 matches as they secured survival with a 19th-placed finish.

After taking over the reins in January, Gavin Cowan will be hoping to get Shrewsbury fighting towards the right end of the table in his first full season at the helm.

The Shrews have warmed up for the new season with seven friendlies, yielding three wins, three draws and one defeat.

That solitary loss took place against Championship side West Bromwich Albion on July 25, before they played out a goalless draw with Hereford and claimed a 3-2 victory over an Aston Villa XI. 

They will now be focusing on Saturday's cup tie where they will be looking to avoid another first-round exit after losing at this stage in two of the past three seasons.

The visitors can take confidence from the fact they got the better of Salford in their most recent trip to the Peninsula Stadium in March, when they came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory. 

Salford City pre-season friendlies form:

Shrewsbury Town pre-season form:

Team News

© Imago / Focus Images

Salford goalkeeper Will Norris is expected to get the nod over fellow summer addition Shane Long. 

Will Aimson, Joe Powell, Abraham Odoh, Luke Molyneux and Macaulay Langstaff could also feature after joining the club ahead of the new season.

After netting four goals in pre-season, Langstaff will be hoping to build upon that form when he leads the line against the Shrews. 

Meanwhile, Shrewsbury could be without Luca Hoole and Jack Price due to ankle and heel issues respectively.

Will Brook appears to be ahead of Sam Proctor in the battle for Shrewsbury's number one spot. 

Arkell Jude-Boyd, Isaac Fletcher and Josh Davison are all in contention to start following their arrivals at the club this summer. 

Salford City possible starting lineup:

Norris; Cesay, Aimson, Oluwo, Carson; Powell, Butcher; Molyneux, Nmai, Odoh; Langstaff 

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Proctor; Berkoe, Boyle, Lee; Jude-Boyd, England, Turner-Cooke, Ruffels; Davison; Fletcher, Lloyd

We say: Salford City 2-1 Shrewsbury Town

Salford have been busy bolstering their squad over the summer, and with Langstaff full of confidence following a strong pre-season, we think the hosts will showcase their cutting edge in the final third to claim a narrow victory. 

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