Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Shrewsbury Town will look to make amends for a 3-1 defeat to Portsmouth when they take on Wycombe on Saturday afternoon. The Shrews are six points clear of the relegation zone, meaning that they should be happy with one point from the match. Tom Bloxham is pushing for a recall to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in the previous two league fixtures.
The Chairboys, on the other hand, head into the match following back-to-back draws with Blackpool and Derby County. As Wycombe should be satisfied with one point from Saturday’s showdown as well, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. The likes of Kane Vincent-Young, Brandon Hanlan, and Saxon Earley should miss out with injuries for the visiting side, while experienced midfielder Josh Scowen could sneak into the starting line-up. Under 2.5 goals have been netted in three of the previous four meetings between the two sides.
Highlighted Player (Sam Vokes):
Sam Vokes began his professional career at Bournemouth and after scoring 16 goals in 54 appearances for the Cherries, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008. He signed a four-year deal contract with the Wolves, but was quickly sent on loan to Leeds United. After spending enjoying loan stints with Bristol City, Sheffield United, Norwich City, Burnley and Brighton, he signed a permanent contract with the Clarets for a fee of £350k.
Sam Vokes impressed in the 2013/2014 Championship campaign, with the Wales international scoring 20 goals in the process. He was struggling with injuries in the 2014/2015 Premier League campaign and, as a result, he failed to find the net for Burnley in 15 appearances in the English top flight. Vokes found his best form in the 2015/2016 season and thanks to his 15 goals the Clarets returned to the English elite division.
Sam Vokes was born and raised in England, but his grandfather was born in Wales and, as a result, he made his debut for the Dragons on 28 May, 2008 in a 1-0 win over Iceland. Vokes helped Wales reach the Euro 2016 semi-finals, scoring in the 3-1 quarter-final win over Belgium.
Highlighted Team (Shrewsbury):
Based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Shrewsbury Town are a professional club that play home games at New Meadow stadium, the venue which was opened in 2007 and has the capacity of 10,361. Shrewsbury Town were founded back in 1886, with some reports indicating the club was established at the Lion Hotel.
The Blues wear blue shirts with yellow stripe and blue shorts when playing at home, whilst the colour of their away kit is purple. Mickey Brown holds the club record for most appearances as he played 190 games for the club, scoring 9 goals in the league. Both Wolverhampton and Walsall are regarded as the club’s fiercest rivals, but there have always been fireworks in matches between Shrewsbury Town and Hereford United as well.
The two teams face each other in the “A49 derby” and it has to be noted that the Blues have built rivalries with Chester City and Wrexham as well.