Preview: Shrewsbury Town vs. Wrexham - prediction, team news, lineups

Wrexham will be bidding to book their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup when they head to League One outfit Shrewsbury Town on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors are flying high in League Two, sitting third in the division, just two points off leaders Stockport County, while Shrewsbury are 13th in the League One table.

Match preview

Shrewsbury will be aiming to extend their winning run over Wrexham to three matches when they host the Welsh outfit on Sunday, with the Shrews triumphing in their two most recent fixtures, which took place during the 2007-08 League Two campaign.

The two sides have not locked horns in the FA Cup since 1973, when Wrexham ran out 1-0 winners in a first-round replay, but they will go head-to-head in the third round of this season's tournament on Sunday.

Shrewsbury will enter the contest off the back of a 3-1 victory over Fleetwood Town in League One, with the result on New Year's Day leaving them in 13th position in the table on 30 points.

Matt Taylor's side had been on a four-game losing run before bouncing back in their first match of 2024, and they will now be eyeing another victory ahead of their next league game with Stevenage on January 13.

Shrewsbury have won two close games to advance to this stage of the FA Cup, beating Colchester United and Notts County 3-2 in the first and second round respectively.

Wrexham, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 4-1 victory over Barrow in League Two, with the result leaving them third in the table, just two points behind leaders Stockport with a game in hand.

The Red Dragons are bidding to make it back-to-back promotions following their National League title success last season, and it is certainly an exciting time to be involved with the club.

Wrexham, who were taken over by Canadian-American actor Ryan Reynolds and American actor Rob McElhenney in November 2020, have beaten Mansfield Town and Yeovil Town in this season's FA Cup to progress to the third round of the competition.

There is no question that the league is the priority for Phil Parkinson's side, but a run in the FA Cup would put more eyes on the club, which now has a global fanbase due to the recent takeover.

Wrexham will enter the match off the back of a run of four wins from their last five matches in all competitions, but they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Walsall in their last game away from home on December 29.

Shrewsbury Town FA Cup form:

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):

Wrexham FA Cup form:

Wrexham form (all competitions):

Team News

Shrewsbury head coach Taylor is expected to name his two leading goalscorers in the side on Sunday afternoon, with Ryan Bowman and Daniel Udoh, who have netted five times each this term, set to start.

Bowman scored a hat-trick against Notts County in the previous round of the competition, and it is expected to be a strong XI for the home side in this contest.

Aaron Pierre was only a substitute against Fleetwood in the league on New Year's Day, but he is likely to come in for a start here, while there will be a spot in midfield for Nohan Kenneh.

As for Wrexham, Steven Fletcher scored a hat-trick against Barrow in the league last time out, but he could be rested from the start here, with Sam Dalby potentially starting alongside Paul Mullin in attack.

Mullin has 11 goals in all competitions this season, but the leading goalscorer for the club in 2023-24 is Elliot Lee with 13, and he will again operate in a deeper area.

Head coach Parkinson is set to make further changes from the side that started against Barrow, with Jacob Mendy likely to start in defence, while Mark Howard should feature between the sticks.

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Marosi; Anderson, Dunkley, Pierre, Benning; Bennett, Winchester, Kenneh, Shipley; Bowman, Udoh

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Howard; Mendy, Cleworth, Tozer, O'Connor, McClean; Cannon, Evans, Lee; Dalby, Mullin

We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Wrexham

Shrewsbury play a league higher than Wrexham and will also have home advantage on Sunday, but we fancy the Welsh outfit to triumph here. Wrexham have so much quality in the forward positions, and Parkinson's team will fancy their chances of advancing to the fourth round of the tournament.

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Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.