Shrewsbury vs Salford City Predictions

On paper, Shrewsbury, who tore up the rulebook and enjoyed a fantastic campaign in League One last season, haven’t exactly flourished this season, but they remain a side that is tough to face, so they’ll likely fancy their chances to get the better of National League side Salford, even if the club  backed by some famous faces will soon grace the Football League.

As they sit in a rather unappealing 18^th position, it would be easy to assume that Shrewsbury are one of the weaker teams in the third division, though that’s not strictly true. John Askey’s men didn’t exactly get the rub of the green at the start of the campaign, while their performances have often been better than results have suggested.

Despite not getting too many positive results during the current campaign, the Shrews have remained hard to beat; they’ve lost five of their last fifteen and have avoided defeat against some of the best teams in League One, such as Portsmouth, Barnsley, Doncaster, Blackpool and Accrington, all of whom currently reside inside the top ten.

Moreover, from a performance point of view, Shrewsbury have looked good at home. Sunday’s hosts have lost just twice at New Meadow during the current campaign, while their underlying numbers are pleasing. The Shrews are averaging 1.79 expected goals for at home, while they’re conceding an average of 1.17.

As for Salford, well, it’s fair to say that the visitors, who’ve shot up the non-league ladder in recent years thanks to their superior finances, are doing well in the National League. They’re currently in third position and their form is good.

In addition, Sunday’s visitors have been posted some pleasing figures on their travels. After losing each of their first two away matches, Salford have gone six games unbeaten on the road, five of which they’ve won. Overall, they’re averaging a promising 1.8 expected goals when playing away from home, while they’re giving up just 1.1 at the other end. Such numbers bode well, though will they be able to play to such a level away against League One opposition?

From a betting point of view, it’s easy to fancy the visitors at the prices. As touched on above, Shrewsbury are a better side than the league table suggests, and they’re certainly no mugs, but they’ve not exactly made a habit of scoring goals or winning matches this season. At the same time, Salford have a squad full of players who’ve previously played in the football league, or in the case of their top scorer, the Scottish Premier League, so the gap in quality between the two teams is expected less than the current prices suggest.

With some very promising figures on the road, the visitors are backed to gain a positive result at New Meadow on Sunday afternoon.