Preview: Shrewsbury Town vs Bromley - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to put their disastrous 2024-25 behind them, Shrewsbury Town will welcome Bromley to the Croud Meadow for their opening League Two clash on Saturday.

Both the Shrews and the Ravens performed strongly in pre-season and will be desperate for three points.

Match preview

Michael Appleton's Shrewsbury were relegated from League One last season, after a tumultuous campaign that saw them have multiple managers.

The Shrews finished the term rooted to the foot of the table with only 33 points to show for their efforts across all 46 of their matches in the third tier.

Ahead of their return to league action, Appleton's side played six pre-season friendlies, and the fact that they won four, lost one and drew one could indicate that the squad have grown accustomed to the manager's style over the summer months.

That being said, fans of the hosts will still be concerned by their team's shocking home record that features six defeats, one draw and one win at Croud Meadow since early March.

Three points on Saturday would provide Shrewsbury with a significant mental boost at the start of the new season, and could inspire them to push for promotion at the first time of asking.

Meanwhile, Andy Woodman's Bromley missed out on their own chance at promotion to the third tier last season, and they will be keen to get off to a strong start this time around.

The Ravens finished 11th in the table, and though they ended four places short of the playoffs, they were also just four points shy of seventh-placed Chesterfield.

Looking to gain an advantage in preparing for this term, Woodman's men - like Shrewsbury - took part in six pre-season friendlies, three of which were against Under-21 teams from the Premier League.

Bromley beat Tottenham and Chelsea's youth setups and were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace's youngsters, and regardless the opposition, the boss will be pleased that his players managed to score at least twice in each of their summer fixtures.

Knowing how fine the margins are at the upper reaches of League Two, fans of the Robins will be quietly confidence of a positive result on Saturday given the strength of their club's travelling record that features just one defeat on the road across their last five away games.

Shrewsbury Town pre-season form:

Bromley pre-season form:

Team News

Shrewsbury are likely to start with a back three consisting of Josh Feeney, Tom Anderson and and George Nurse, flanked by wing-backs Luca Hoole and Will Boyle.

Up top, striker John Marquis should be joined by Anthony Scully, while Alex Gilliead provides support from an attacking midfield position.

As for Bromley, striker Michael Cheek can be expected to lead the line once again, with Marcus Ifill and Mitchell Pinnock offering width as they did against Millwall in July.

Elsewhere, Deji Elerewe and the versatile Ashley Charles should start at the heart of defence, with full-backs Carl Jenkinson and Kyle Cameron either side of the duo.

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Young; Feeney, Anderson, Nurse; Hoole, Stubbs, Biggins, Boyle; Gilliead; Marquis, Scully

Bromley possible starting lineup:

Long; Jenkinson, Elerewe, Charles, Cameron; Krauhaus, Thompson; Pinnock, Whitely, Ifill; Cheek

We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Bromley

Shrewsbury may have been competing in a higher division last season, but they have struggled at home throughout the year, and they could find it difficult to keep Bromley at bay.

On the other hand, the Ravens have lost just one of their last five on the road, and they could take all three points on Saturday.

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