EFL Trophy Preview: Shrewsbury Town vs Birmingham City

Shrewsbury Town and Birmingham City are set to face off in the EFL Trophy‘s Southern Group A at the Montgomery Waters Meadow. This match comes as both teams are eager to secure their first wins in this season’s competition.

Shrewsbury Town, who managed to avoid relegation last season by just two places and four points, are anticipating another challenging campaign in the 2024-25 season. Currently, they have won only one of their opening 10 matches in League One. Over the weekend, they shared the spoils with Bolton Wanderers, earning a point thanks to first-half goals from Daniel Udoh and Ryan Bowman.

In their first EFL Trophy match this season, Shrewsbury suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fulham’s Under-21 team, despite having taken the lead. Head coach Steve Cotterill, who joined Shrewsbury earlier this year, will aim to replicate past successes he achieved at Grimsby Town.

Birmingham City, the favorites for the League One title, faced their first league defeat of the season last Saturday against Charlton Athletic. Despite this setback, they remain at the top of the table, although they have played one fewer game than second-placed Wrexham. The team is also hoping for success in the EFL Trophy, having faced setbacks in their previous matches.

Shrewsbury Town is expected to feature players who made significant impacts off the bench in their last league game. Meanwhile, Birmingham will miss several key players due to international duty, including their leading striker, as well as players participating in international fixtures for Iceland and Scotland.

The Shrewsbury Town starting line-up is expected to include Harry Savin, Ethan Ross, Matthew Pennington, Luke Leahy, Elliott Bennett, George Nurse, David Davis, Luke Blood, Nathaniel Ogbeta, Tom Bloxham, and Daniel Udoh. Birmingham City might feature Neil Etheridge, Maxime Colin, George Friend, Juan Castillo, Ivan Sanchez, Gary Gardner, Adam Clayton, Onel Hernandez, Riley McGree, and Sahith Kapoor in their lineup.

With both teams looking to advance in the competition, Tuesday’s match promises a significant contest. Birmingham City is anticipated to deploy a heavily rotated squad, yet their depth is likely to prove formidable for Shrewsbury Town.