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

Newly-promoted Premier League side Burnley travel to Meadow Lane to take on League Two outfit Shrewsbury Town in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

The two teams meet for the first time since August 2022 when the Clarets claimed a narrow 1-0 away victory over the Shrews in the second round of the EFL Cup.

Match preview

Shrewsbury’s 10-year stay in League One came to an end in disappointing fashion last season when they suffered 29 defeats in 46 games to finish rock bottom of the table with only 33 points.

Salop were 14 points adrift from safety with nine matches remaining when Michael Appleton was appointed head coach following the surprise exit of Gareth Ainsworth after only four months in charge, and the Shropshire-based outfit eventually ended the season the same points margin behind the dotted line.

Despite celebrating only one win out of nine to conclude the campaign, Appleton decided to pen a two-year contract to become Shrewsbury’s permanent manager in May, and the 49-year-old is keen to build a team that the club’s supporters can be proud of and that can challenge for League Two promotion next season.

A total of seven summer signings have arrived at Shrewsbury, who made a positive start to pre-season by winning each of their first four friendly fixtures against Stoke City (1-0), Leamington (2-0), Telford United (2-1) and Kidderminster Harriers (3-0).

However, the Shews head into Saturday’s clash with Burnley after suffering defeat in their most recent pre-season fixture against League One side Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday, losing 5-2 on home soil.

Burnley may have narrowly missed out on the Championship title to Leeds United by goal difference, but they still notched up a triple-digit points total for the second season in three years to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League under head coach Scott Parker.

The 44-year-old has since overseen a productive summer transfer window with a total of 10 permanent signings having already arrived at Turf Moor as the Clarets endeavour to avoid a repeat of the 2023-24 campaign in which they suffered demotion straight back to the second tier under former boss Vincent Kompany.

Burnley’s first-team squad have spent the last three weeks building up their fitness in pre-season training, with the first two weeks based at their own training centre, beating Fleetwood Town 1-0 in their first behind-closed-doors friendly of the summer, before spending a week-long warm-weather camp in Portugal that included a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

Parker believes that the Clarets are “nudging along in the right direction” and their upcoming friendly fixtures will provide his players with “an opportunity to keep things moving forward” as the start of the new season edges closer.

Burnley’s squad will be split in two for away friendlies against Shrewsbury and Huddersfield Town be played simultaneously on Saturday, and the squad will merge back together for the club’s final two matches against Stoke City and Lazio before gearing up for their first Premier League game of the 2025-26 campaign away against Tottenham Hotspur on August 16.

Shrewsbury Town pre-season form:

W W W W L

Burnley pre-season form:

W D

Team News

Shrewsbury announced the signing of winger Anthony Scully on Thursday and the 26-year-old - who played under Appleton at Lincoln City - is in contention to make his first appearance for the club against Burnley.

Sam Clucas, Tom Sang, Tom Anderson, Will Boyle and Elyh Harrison - a loan signing from Manchester United - have also joined the club this summer and are expected to be involved in some capacity.

As for Burnley, it remains unknown as to which players will be selected in the separate squads to face Shrewsbury and Huddersfield this weekend.

Forward Zeki Amdouni is one name who will not be involved in either fixture as he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelined with a cruciate ligament tear sustained in pre-season.

Loum Tchaouna, Quilindschy Hartman, Axel Tuanzebe, Max Weiss and Kyle Walker are some of the new signings made by the Clarets this summer who could be given run-outs in this one.

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Harrison; Sang, Boyle, Anderson, Benning; Biggins, Clucas, Perry; Scully, Marquis, Lloyd

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Hladky; Tuanzebe, Worrall, Delcroix, Pires; Hannibal, Laurent, Tresor; Koleosho, Barnes, Bruun Larsen

We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-3 Burnley

It is difficult to predict the outcome of this pre-season affair, but if Burnley are to name a relatively strong lineup in this one, then they should have enough quality to get the better of their League Two counterparts.