Newport County
- Two struggling League Two sides meet at Rodney Parade on Saturday as the early-season rebuilding efforts of Christian Fuchs and Gavin Cowan come face to face in South Wales.
- Shrewsbury Town occupy 19th spot in the table with 41 points from 39 games, ten more than Newport County in 22nd with 31 from the same amount of matches.
- In his early days at Newport County, Fuchs has preached bravery, energy, and second-ball aggression.
- He has set his side up to play at a variable pace from a 4-1-4-1 or 4-4-2 base, aiming to be direct, wide, and multi-purpose in midfield.
Shrewsbury Town
- The Shrews have one win and four defeats from their last five in the league, while the Exiles have two wins and three defeats from their most recent five outings.
- The visitors play a more compact, transition-based game under Cowan, with The Shrews sitting deep, staying in a compact shape, and looking to disrupt opponents at the point of transition.
- Defending solidly and then coming forward to counter attack is the main priority of the former Forest Green Rovers boss.
Head-to-Head
- The Shrews won 1-0 at home to the Exiles when these sides last met in League Two four months ago.
- Shrewsbury have scored an average of 1.00 goals per game on the road in League Two, with 19 goals scored on their travels.
Key Players
- Michael Spellman is Newport County's top scorer this season, with the striker hitting five goals in 31 games.
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Shrewsbury Town:
- George Lloyd is the leading marksman in the ranks of Shrewsbury Town with four goals from 36 appearances.
- Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi has been a bright spark of late with two goals in his last five.
- Take him in the anytime goalscorer market with a small wager.
Betting Insights
- Cowan’s arrival seems to have steadied the ship somewhat for Shrewsbury Town, but results still haven’t taken a significant upturn just yet.
- Shrewsbury’s away form has been patchy all season - W4, D3, L12 in League Two - and Newport have won one of their last three at home, losing the other two.
- Both teams to score - Yes and over 2.5 goals are priced well at 1.8 and 2.1 respectively, suggesting this has the potential to be a fairly open game.
- The main match result market looks equally generous at the moment, with Shrewsbury priced at 2.7 to get the job done at Rodney Parade.
Prediction
They should have enough about them to take all three points against Newport County on Saturday, but it won’t be easy.
