With just two games left in League One, Shrewsbury Town are still playing to guarantee their safety in the division ahead of next season.
They travel to The Valley to face Charlton Athletic on Saturday. With the remaining points available, the hosts are simply aiming to finish as high as possible.
Match preview
Charlton sits just two places above Shrewsbury in the league table heading into this weekend, but with a five-point gap, they do not have to worry about the threat of relegation as they are mathematically safe.
Despite that, the Addicks will still be just as hungry for points this weekend, considering they sit six places below where they finished the 2022-23 campaign.
While Nathan Jones' men cannot reach that goal this season, they still have the potential to improve their current situation.
The hosts are in fantastic form, having not lost since February 10, a run that has seen them play 13 League One fixtures. However, a big problem for Charlton has been finishing teams off and finding the killer goal.
The Addicks have drawn nine of those matches, which might have secured them enough points for survival, but has ultimately prevented them from progressing up the division.
The progress is still clear for Charlton, though, which gives the fans plenty to shout about as the team begins to look ahead to next season, and wrapping up the campaign with a few wins would certainly provide some excitement.
On the other hand, the visitors still need points to guarantee their safety in the division for the 2024-25 campaign.
While they sit three places above Cheltenham Town, the only team in the relegation zone who can catch them at this point, the fact that the Robins have a game in hand will have Shrewsbury concerned.
Cheltenham need to win all three of their remaining fixtures to overtake the Shrews, but four points out of a possible six in the last two games for Paul Hurst's men would make it impossible for them.
It has been six matches since Shrewsbury last won, with that coming against Carlisle United. However, they did secure a point on Tuesday night away at Bolton Wanderers.
Hurst will have been frustrated to not leave with all three, though, considering his team twice took the lead through goals from Daniel Udoh and Jordan Shipley. However, following up on that with another positive result is now crucial for them.
Team News
Charlton have been without Miles Leaburn recently due to a hamstring issue, but Connor Wickham marked his first start for the Addicks with a goal, and he should lead the line again now that he is fully fit.
Jones also brought Tyreeq Bakinson and Tyreece Campbell into the team for the draw against Cambridge United, and both should be in contention on Saturday.
With both men getting on the scoresheet in midweek, Shipley and Udoh should retain their positions as they aim to fire Shrewsbury to League One safety.
Hurst switched his setup against Bolton as he opted for a 3-5-2 formation, and considering that resulted in his team picking up a point, he could opt to repeat that.
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Isted; Thomas, Hector, Gillesphey; LuaLua, Dobson, Coventry, Small; Bakinson; Campbell, Wickham
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Feeney, Dunkley, Anderson; Benning, Winchester, Bennett, Sobowale, Shipley; Udoh, Bloxham
We say: Charlton Athletic 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
Charlton are the draw specialists of League One, with no team sharing the points more than them this season, so one more would not be a surprise.
With Shrewsbury needing points to guarantee their safety, they will be sure to put up a fight which could lead to them getting a result to go one step closer to their goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines, and more for this match please click here.
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