Boro to avoid cup upset against Shrewsbury
The League Cup kicks off on Friday night as Shrewsbury Town travel north to face Middlesbrough. Can the League One side cause an upset against their more illustrious hosts? Have a read of our preview here:
Season to forget for Boro
With the Jonathan Woodgate experiment in tatters, Boro now face a new era under the guidance of experienced coach Neil Warnock.
He will bring a very different feel to the Riverside and could be the manager that takes them back to the heights they once frequented.
The problem is, as with most Championship clubs, finances are tight with parachute payments no longer helping Steve Gibson’s side as they look to try and re-establish themselves as a play-off hopefuls in the second tier.
It won’t be easy but they do have talent within the squad. Britt Assombalonga is a brilliant striker and Marcus Browne would also add to the creativity of the Boro attack if Warnock can get the best out of him following an impressive loan spell at Oxford.
The lack of transfer activity, currently on Grant Hall has arrived from QPR on a free, is a concern but also reflective of the current economic environment both in football and the wider world.
Warnock will be confident of getting through the first round of the League Cup, but whether Boro can enjoy a better campaign in the Championship remains to be seen.
Salop lack punch up top
Last season Shrewsbury real struggled to create chances and therefore to score goals. They played a conservative style which failed to capture the imagination of the fans and left many feeling uneasy about Sam Ricketts’ ability to bring a winning team to the Meadow.
2020/21 is a new season and Ricketts deserves a chance to show he can bring a more entertaining style of football to the Shropshire faithful.
He has already indicated a change of tactics, dropping the three centre backs in favour of a flat back four and a potential front three.
The problem is Salop have very few attacking players capable of leading the line and still need to sign at least one more striker before they look capable of scoring more regularly this season.
With a long time before the transfer window closes, that may well be something that is in the pipeline, but a trip to Middlesbrough could prove difficult unless new faces arrive before Friday.
Middlesbrough v Shrewsbury betting tip
Neil Warnock brings a lot of experience to the Riverside and he will be able to get more out of this squad than Woodgate. With Salop still building a squad Boro should be able to get the result here. That’s why we are backing Middlesbrough to win at odds of 1.8 with Betway.
