Two teams fighting against relegation from League One will meet on Tuesday when Shrewsbury Town welcome Morecambe, with the hosts sitting just above the bottom four right now.
However, the visitors are currently in that spot, but a victory has the potential to take them out of that situation, putting some pressure on this game.
Match preview
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Shrewsbury Town have been struggling for form recently, with just one victory in their previous six outings, but the club have been picking up a few results due to drawing two games in that period.
However, the team is in a desperate need for more than that due to their league positioning, with the club being only six points above the relegation zone right now.
It has placed pressure on the squad for every match, especially on Tuesday when they face a team in the bottom four, who will be hoping to close the gap between them.
Steve Cotterill's men had fought themselves back into the game during their most recent outing, with Ryan Bowman scoring an equaliser against Oxford United, only for Cameron Brannagan to convert a penalty in the final 10 minutes to wrap things up.
The defeat extended Shrewsbury's run without three points to three games, but after the squad were able to keep consecutive clean sheets in their two previous matches, they will have the belief from a defensive perspective.
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It has been 10 games since Morecambe were last able to win, which took place on January 22, which has left the club in the relegation zone, fighting for their survival each time they enter the pitch.
At the weekend Derek Adams witnessed his team struggle against Cheltenham Town by three goals to one, with Liam Sercombe, Callum Wright and Alfie May all getting on the scoresheet, with Greg Leigh's strike not being enough to help his team.
The Shrimps have struggled away from home, winning only two games on the road, which is the second-worst record in the entire division, which is something they need to work on for their remaining matches.
Morecambe have also had problems defensively, having conceded 70 goals throughout this season, with only Doncaster Rovers having let in more goals.
Despite that, the club could get themselves out of the relegation zone with a victory, possibly climbing up to 19th, showcasing how close things are.
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Team News
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Shaun Whalley returned to the pitch on Saturday for Shrewsbury Town, being used as a substitute to appear for the first time in four months, adding a boost of experience to the squad.
Cotterill will likely continue his 3-5-2 formation, which would match up perfectly with how their opponents typically set up, opening an even contest between them.
Leigh continued to showcase his qualities since recently returning to the Morecambe team from an illness when he scored at the weekend, and he is likely to retain his place in the team.
Dylan Connolly and Cole Stockton will also work as partners up front, continuing to operate with five midfielders behind them.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell, Flanagan; Bennett, Vela, Fornah, Leahy, Nurse; Udoh, Bowman
Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Carson; O'Connor, Bedeau, Gibson; McLoughlin, Phillips, Diagouraga, McCalmont, Leigh; Connolly, Stockton
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Morecambe
Neither team heads into this match with particularly great form within their recent performances, which is something that each needs to change if they want to stay up this season.
However, with both having a lot to fight for here, it would not be a surprise to see them battle out a draw, sharing the points.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Shrewsbury Town win with a probability of 41.56%. A win for Morecambe had a probability of 31.64% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Shrewsbury Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.08%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.63%) and 2-0 (7.52%). The likeliest Morecambe win was 0-1 (9.38%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.72%). The actual scoreline of 5-0 was predicted with a 0.3% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Shrewsbury Town would win this match.
