Preview: Sutton United vs Shrewsbury Town - prediction, team news, lineups

To make their dream of a clash against a Premier League giant possible, National League side Sutton United will need to make it past Shrewsbury Town at VBS Community Stadium in the FA Cup's second round on Saturday.

The U's are unbeaten in seven games ahead of this weekend, while the Shrews have won just one of their last five.

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Match preview

Non-league Sutton are best known beyond their own fanbase for their appearances in the FA Cup, having beaten the likes of Leeds United in the competition when they reached the fifth round in 2016-17, as well as - most famously - Coventry City back in 1988-89. 

In 2025-26, Chris Agutter's U's are the most in-form National League club outside of the top eight, and they will head into this match full of confidence given that they are unbeaten across all competitions since the start of November.

Most recently in the fifth tier, the Amber and Chocolates followed up a 4-1 cup thrashing of Southampton Under-21s by coming from behind to beat Gateshead 4-2, a victory that saw Jayden Harris score a brace.

Notably, Sutton's current impressive run of form began in the previous round of the FA Cup, when they downed Telford 2-1 to make this stage.

Regardless of trends, the U's will be the underdogs on Saturday due to their non-league status, but given that they have won their last five matches on their own turf, and have not lost outright when playing as the home side since September, fans will head to the ground with cautious optimism.

Meanwhile, Shrewsbury have twice reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and they will be keen to make the third round once again, where they famously held then-European champions Liverpool to a 2-2 draw before losing the replay 1-0 at Anfield back in 2019-20.

Michael Appleton's iteration of the Shrews are in the midst of recovering from last season's relegation from League One, and while they had hoped to bounce back as soon as possible, the club are struggling in League Two.

The end of November saw Shrewsbury lose 3-1 on the road against Fleetwood Town - their ninth defeat in 18 fourth tier matches - and go on to surrender a 3-1 half-time lead in a 3-3 draw with Gillingham a week later.

That latest disappointment has the club 20th in the table with 17 points, a concerning tally that puts them just one above Harrogate Town in the relegation zone.

Turning to FA Cup as a potential source of escape and inspiration, Appleton's side expectedly eliminated the National League North's South Shields with a 3-1 win in the first round, racing into a three-goal advantage before half time.

However, if Shrewsbury are to repeat the trick against non-league opposition on Saturday, then they will need to defy their travelling form that features three losses on the bounce ahead of this weekend, as well as just two away wins all season.

Sutton United FA Cup form:

Sutton United form (all competitions):

Shrewsbury Town FA Cup form:

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Sutton could opt for a similar lineup to the one that beat Telford, so expect to see Tommy Reid start in goal, with Aaron Jones, Edon Pruti and Jack Taylor forming a back three just ahead of him. 

However, striker Ashley Nadesan has not featured since early November, and Brandon Njoku could take his place in the XI on Saturday, supported by Lewis Simper and Jayden Harris.

As for Shrewsbury, they went strong against South Shields in the first round, and could do so again this weekend.

With that in mind, Will Brook looks set to line up between the sticks, protected by a defensive trio of Tom Anderson, Sam Stubbs and Will Boyle.

At the opposite end of the pitch, John Marquis may come back into starting XI at centre-forward, backed up by Ismeal Kabia and Anthony Scully. 

Sutton United possible starting lineup:

Reid; Jones, Pruti, Taylor; Ogbonna, Muller, Jennings, Eccleston; Simper, Harris; Njoku

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Brook; Anderson, Stubbs, Boyle; Hoole, England, Ruffels, Clucas; Kabia, Scully; Marquis

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We say: Sutton United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town

Sutton may be a non-league side - and a bottom-half one at that - but they are in excellent form, and will feel capable of causing an upset.

In contrast, Shrewsbury are struggling at the moment and could be caught off-guard by their fifth-tier hosts on Saturday.