Shrewsbury Town host Northampton Town in their second game of the League One season on Saturday at the Montgomery Waters Meadow. The match will be one of the first EFL games to host fans for the first time since March.
Team News
Shrewsbury boss Sam Ricketts has told the official club website that he has no specific injury concerns. He told the media they have a few minor knocks but nothing which will affect their squad on Saturday.
Shrewsbury will only be without former Northampton centre back Aaron Pierre who will miss the fixture following his red card last time out in the Shrews 0-0 draw at Portsmouth.
As for Northampton, they will be missing at least five of their key players on Saturday. Joe Nuttall, Harry Smith, Nicky Adams, Scott Pollock and Shaun McWilliams will all be unavailable. Cobblers boss Keith Curle says centre back Luka Racic will be a doubt after being taken off in their Carabao Cup defeat to Bristol City on Wednesday night.
The Cobblers also completed the signing of former Fleetwood Town midfielder Jack Sowerby on Friday who could make his debut for the Cobblers on Saturday.
Predicted lineups
Shrewsbury's only change to their team should be Aaron Pierre making way for centre half Daniel Love.
The Cobblers will make changes to a young, make-shift side they put out in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Shrewsbury Town
Sarkic, Williams, Ebanks-Landell, Love, Golbourne, Walker, Vela, High, Cummings, Whalley, Pyke.
Northampton Town
Arnold, Harriman, Bolger, Horsfall, Martin, Mills, Watson, Missilou, Hoskins, Warburton, Korboa.
Ones to watch
Shaun Whalley & Rekeil Pyke (Shrewsbury)
Experienced midfielder Shaun Whalley will be a threat for the Salop. The Englishman joined the Shrews back in 2015 and has over 180 appearances for the club. Whalley has also never lost to the Cobblers in his senior career.
Another danger man for the Shrews will be their new signing Rekeil Pyke. The 23-year-old forward opened his Shrewbury account in the Carabao Cup two weeks ago in their defeat to Middlesborough. Pyke looked dangerous on the opening day against Porsrtmouth and will look to impress in front of the 1000 Shrewsbury fans that will be in attendance on Saturday.
Sam Hoskins & Christopher Missilou (Northampton)
As for Northampton, they'll be happy to have last seasons top scorer Sam Hoskins back from a hamstring problem. The forward scored 12 goals in all competitions on their road to promotion last season. He continued his impressive form with a goal against Leyton Orient in pre-season and will hope to have a positive impact on the Cobblers league campaign.
Christopher Missilou will be another man for the Shrews to look out for. Northampton fans have been impressed by the French-born midfielder who has been a brilliant addition to what is a strong looking Cobblers midfield.
Previous Meetings
The two sides have met each other on 53 previous occasions, the first back in 1951 where Northampton won 6-0 in a Division Three South match.
The record tips slightly into the Shrews favour, there have been 11 draws, 20 Northampton wins and Shrewsbury were victorious on the other 22 occasions.
The last meeting between the two sides was in March 2018, where the sides played out a 1-1 draw in Northampton.
Where to watch
Shrewsbury Town season ticket holders have been sent a code to watch the match for free on iFollow.
Salop fans who are not season ticket holders can pay £10 to watch the match here.
Northampton Town fans can also watch the game live for £10 through their iFollow service.
Pre-match quotes
During his press conference, Shrewsbury boss Sam Ricketts told the media what he has made of the Shrews start to the season and the tough test he is expecting against Northampton:
“There has been an awful lot that has pleased me so far. There are always things that we can get better at –we are still in the very early stages of the season. We are really pleased with how things are looking and shaping up – we must continue to get better
“Any team that gets promoted come up with momentum. They’re in that habit of winning. It started well this year with beating Cardiff and then a two-all draw with Wimbledon. They are a side with momentum, confidence, and belief. It will take some effort to match that and then we have to impose ourselves on the game. We have to respect their threats because they do have multiple."
Keith Curle has told the Northampton website, the fans need to give their new squad time before we see their full potential:
“We’ve still got a relatively new nucleus in the changing room and like last season it is going to take the supporters a little bit of time to get to know the players and their characteristics,” he said.
“This season is a clean canvas for us, we are still learning and it’s important we keep establishing our identity."