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

The hosts head into the game on the back of two positive results, meanwhile Salop are without a win in their previous three matches.

Match preview

Portsmouth earned three points last weekend after a 1-0 win against Forest Green Rovers, and they followed that up by securing a point in midweek against Oxford United.

Despite the fact that Pompey conceded in the 16th minute, the team battled through the game, and they were rewarded in the 78th minute when Colby Bishop found the back of the net.

That point helped the club maintain its position in the playoffs, and with at least one game in hand on all of the teams above them there will be plenty of confidence that they can climb further.

Danny Cowley has guided his team to an unbeaten start at Fratton Park in the league, making the home ground a fortress so far.

With three victories and four draws in front of their own fans, Portsmouth should have plenty of belief when welcoming Shrewsbury Town.

Salop will likely not be feeling the same way considering the fact they are without a win in their previous three games, having only scored a single goal across that period.

The attacking displays are something that will no doubt be a cause for concern to Steve Cotterill, but the club are not in a poor position.

While Shrewsbury sit 12th in the table right now, a victory on Saturday would put them just two points behind Portsmouth, highlighting how tight things are at the moment.

In midweek Cotterill's men were left heartbroken after conceding in the final 10 minutes of the game as their 1-0 lead that had been created by Jordan Shipley was cut away to a 2-1 defeat.

It is something that Shrewsbury Town will look to learn from and quickly put behind them, especially since another loss could see them fall into the bottom half of the table.

Portsmouth League One form:

D

L

D

L

W

D

Portsmouth form (all competitions):

L

W

D

L

W

D

Shrewsbury Town League One form:

W

L

W

W

L

L

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):

L

W

W

L

L

L

Team News

After finding the back of the net in midweek Bishop will be hoping to retain his place in the starting XI, likely with Dane Scarlett alongside him.

Reeco Hackett-Fairchild is someone that got brought into the team in midweek, replacing Owen Dale, and the competition between them is likely going to continue again this weekend.

The visitors were able to welcome back Matt Pennington in midweek after a period on the shelf due to injury, and he is expected to start once again.

However, while Salop did gain one player they will be missing Julien Dacosta as he is dealing with a complex hernia problem at the moment.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Griffiths; Swanson, Raggett, Robertson, Ogilvie; Dale, Tunnicliffe, Mingi, Curtis; Scarlett, Bishop

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Marosi; Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan; Shipley, Leahy, Bayliss, Winchester, Bennett; Saydee, Street

We say: Portsmouth 2-0 Shrewsbury Town

This game brings two teams in contrasting form against each other, which is why Portsmouth heads into the game as the clear favourites right now.

The fact that Shrewsbury Town are struggling for goals also does not help their case, and could lead to the hosts picking up a comfortable three points.

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