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

Having lost each of the last four meetings between the sides, Shrews will head into the midweek clash looking to get one over the visitors and pull clear of the danger zone.

Match preview

Shrewsbury Town continue to struggle for points at the bottom end of the League One standings as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw against Derby County on Saturday.

Following a relatively uneventful first half at the Pride Park Stadium, Max Bird put the Rams in front in the 54th minute, but Aaron Pierre struck with three minutes left to play to force a share of the spoils.

Shrewsbury Town have now failed to win five of their last six matches across all competitions, claiming one draw and losing four, including a 1-0 defeat against Wrexham in the FA Cup on January 7.

Paul Hurst's men have now lost 17 of their 31 League One matches while claiming 10 wins and four draws to collect 34 points and sit 19th in the table, level on points with Reading and just three points above the dotted line.

Shrewsbury now return home, where they have lost all but one of their last six matches across all competitions since the start of December, with a 3-1 victory over Fleetwood Town on New Year's Day being the exception.

While the Shrews will be looking to end this poor run and pull clear of the relegation zone, recent results against Barnsley offer little optimism as they have lost each of the last four meetings between the sides, conceding eight goals and scoring just once since a 3-1 victory in October 2018.

Barnsley, on the other hand, picked up three huge points in their quest for automatic promotion as they scored two late goals to scrape a 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient at the Oakwell Stadium last Saturday.

Ruel Sotiriou netted inside the opening 10 minutes to hand the visitors an early lead but Adam Phillips restored parity in the 88th minute before completing the turnaround in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Prior to that, Neill Collins's side saw their nine-game unbeaten run come to an end on January 27 courtesy of a 2-1 loss against Exeter, five days before holding out for a 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

With 56 points from 30 matches, the Tykes are currently fourth in the League One standings, level on points with fifth-placed Peterborough United and four points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

Barnsley's impressive campaign has been owing to the solid job done at both ends of the pitch as they currently boast the division's second-best attack with 54 goals scored, while they have conceded the sixth-fewest number of goals (34).

Shrewsbury Town League One form:

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L

L

W

L

D

Shrewsbury Town form (all competitions):

L

L

L

W

L

D

Barnsley League One form:

W

W

W

L

D

W

Team News

Shrewsbury Town will take to the pitch without the services of Tom Flanagan and 24-year-old defender George Nurse, who continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Tom Bloxham missed the game against Derby through suspension after picking up a red card against Cambridge United on February 3 but the English forward should return to the fold on Tuesday.

Twenty-four-year-old Tunmise Sobowale came off with a 70th-minute injury at the weekend as the former Waterford FC man is also a doubt for the Shrews.

As for Barnsley, Collins will be unable to call upon the services of Robbie Cundy, Matty Wolfe and teenage midfielder Theo Chapman, who are all recuperating from injuries.

Fabio Jalo has missed each of the last six matches after coming off injured against Wigan Athletic on New Year's Day and the Portuguese forward is out of contention for the visitors.

Former Grimsby Town man Josh Benson has been out of action since last November, while Scottish defender Jamie McCart is set to sit out his sixth consecutive game through an injury.

Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:

Marosi; Feeney, Dunkley, Pierre, Benning; Perry, Winchester, Shipley; O'Brien, Bayliss, Udoh

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Roberts; Williams, De Gevigney, Earl; Cotter, Phillips, Connell, Kane, Cadden; McAtee, Cole

We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Barnsley

Shrewsbury Town and Barnsley head into Tuesday's game in contrasting form, with the Shrews managing just one win in their last six matches across all competitions. We predict Barnsley will pick up where they left off against Leyton Orient and extend their winning streak against the hosts.

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