Already-through Walsall will take on already-eliminated Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night, with the two sides locking horns in Group A of the Southern section of the competition.
Walsall are second in the section and can still claim top ahead of Birmingham City, but Shrewsbury cannot advance to the next stage, having lost both of their games in Group A to Fulham Under-21s and Birmingham.
Match preview
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Walsall will enter Tuesday's fixture off the back of a 1-1 draw with Crewe Alexandra in League Two, with the result leaving them in second spot in the table, three points behind the leaders Port Vale with a game in hand.
Mat Sadler's side are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 success over Bolton Wanderers in the first round of the FA Cup at the start of the month.
The Saddlers opened their 2024-25 EFL Trophy campaign with a 1-1 draw against Birmingham before triumphing on penalties, and they then beat Fulham Under-21s 1-0 last time out to move onto five points in the section.
Walsall are second in the group, two points behind leaders Birmingham, meaning that a victory on Tuesday would see them claim top spot in the section, but they are already through to the next stage of the competition.
The Saddlers are winless in their last four games with Shrewsbury in all competitions, including a 3-2 defeat when the two teams last locked horns in the EFL Trophy last November.
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Shrewsbury sacked Paul Hurst as head coach earlier this month following a poor run of form, and Sean Parrish is currently in charge on an interim basis while the club look for a new manager.
Parrish's first game in charge was against Burton Albion in League One on Saturday, and it ended in a 2-0 defeat, with the team now losing each of their last five matches in all competitions.
The Shrews are rock bottom of the League One table, picking up only eight points from their first 15 matches of the season, and they are already six points behind 20th-placed Leyton Orient.
Shrewsbury have struggled to make their mark in the EFL Trophy this season, losing their opener to Fulham Under-21s on August 20 before being beaten 4-0 at home by Birmingham last month.
The Shrews are bottom of Southern Group A on zero points, five points behind second-placed Walsall, so they cannot advance to the next stage of the competition regardless of what happens on Tuesday night.
Team News
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Walsall head coach Sadler will make a number of changes to his usual starting XI, with squad players expected to be given opportunities to make their mark in the cup fixture.
Daniel Johnson should feature in the final third of the field, while Jack Earing is set to be another starter for the hosts.
There should also be another appearance between the sticks for number two goalkeeper Samuel Hornby, while 36-year-old Albert Adomah should receive a start in a wide midfield role.
As for Shrewsbury, their League One clash against Reading, which was due to take place next weekend, has been postponed due to the Royals having players away on international duty.
As a result, interim head coach Parrish is expected to name a strong XI, with John Marquis set to lead the line.
Charles Sagoe Jr is also in line for a start in a forward area, with the 20-year-old still searching for his first goal of the campaign.
George Lloyd has scored three times in the league this season, but the 24-year-old is likely to be among the substitutes for the first whistle on Tuesday night.
Walsall possible starting lineup:
Hornby; Okagbue, Williams, Weir; Adomah, Hall, Lakin, Earing, Maher; Cleary, Johnson
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Savin; Winchester, Nsiala, Feeney, Nurse; Gilliead, Perry; Bloxham, Castledine, Sagoe Jr; Marquis
We say: Walsall 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury are a difficult team to back at the moment, especially against a side with Walsall's quality, and we are finding it tough to predict anything other than a comfortable home success in this fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
