Two teams with three league defeats from three meet on Saturday when Shrewsbury Town host Leyton Orient at Croud Meadow.
The Shrews only have a penalty shootout win to shout about so far this season, while the O's have had a tricky fixture list and will be hoping for an upturn in form with their upcoming games.
Match preview
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Shrewsbury's start to the season has been woeful having fallen to five defeats from their opening six games in all competitions, and their only victory coming via a penalty shootout win over Notts County of League Two.
Among the favourites to be relegated from League One, manager Paul Hurst has a big job on his hands if he is to turn around the fortunes of the Shrews following this slow start.
In the last week, Shrewsbury have been beaten 1-0 at Huddersfield Town in the league before following this up with a midweek 2-0 home loss at the hands of Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup second round.
Looking at some of the incomings over the summer, the likes of former Bristol Rovers trio John Marquis, Jordan Rossiter and Luca Hoole have the ability to thrive at this level, and the signature of Harrison Biggins from Doncaster Rovers was a shrewd signing for the Shrews.
However, this is yet to materialise on the pitch, and Saturday's clash between two sides rooted to the bottom of League One could prove crucial even at this early stage of the season, particularly with the likes of Wrexham, Charlton Athletic and Stockport County all looming in the coming weeks for Hurst's side.
![Richie Wellens is managing Leyton Orient during the Sky Bet League 1 match between Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient at The Valley in London, on August 17, 2024 [on August 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/richie-wellens.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Richie Wellens is managing Leyton Orient during the Sky Bet League 1 match between Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient at The Valley in London, on August 17, 2024 [on August 25, 2024]")
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Leyton Orient have similarly endured a tricky start to their league campaign after suffering three consecutive defeats at the hands of Bolton, Charlton Athletic and most recently, Birmingham City.
Taking a more holistic view of their results you can see that the O's have played three teams vying for promotion this season, and that they have only lost by the odd goal in each of their defeats thus far.
Richie Wellens also brings his side to Shrewsbury on the back of an impressive away victory over Championship side Millwall in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, with Dan Agyei's first-half goal sealing the deal in a 1-0 win.
That cup win combined with their plucky and narrow defeats suggests that we are yet to see the best of a Leyton Orient side that finished last season in an impressive 11th, in what was their first season back in League One since 2015.
A big problem for Wellens is how he replaces the 21 combined goals of Ruel Sotiriou and Shaq Forde; the former leaving for Bristol Rovers over the summer and the latter returning to his parent club Watford after a successful loan spell.
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Team News
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Hurst has a few injury doubts heading into Saturday's game, but the long-term prognosis looks hopeful for Carl Winchester (groin) and Morgan Feeney (hamstring).
The duo could miss out here, although if they do feature it is likely to only be from the bench, and this means that Biggins could deputise in place of Winchester in the midfield.
Wellens meanwhile has a fully-fit squad to choose from, and after three league defeats in a row the manager might opt to freshen up a side which also lost to Bolton on Tuesday in the EFL Cup.
If he does opt for changes to his previous league selection then the likes of Matty Pearson, Josh Koroma and Rhys Healey will be pushing to start in midfield and attack.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Savin; Hoole, Nsiala, Pierre, Benning; Biggins, Perry, Shipley; O'Reilly, Bloxham, Marquis
Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Clare, Cooper, Happe, Sweeney; Brown, Galbraith; Donley, Obiero, O'Neill; Kelman
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Leyton Orient
Shrewsbury's turgid start to the season is in dire need of a spark to lift them out of their slump, but Saturday's opponents also have the same motivation heading into this game.
Leyton Orient have had a tough start on paper, but they have shown glimpses against the top sides and in the cup win over Millwall that they might just have enough to leave Croud Meadow with a vital three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
