Crawley vs Shrewsbury Prediction: Crunch clash at the bottom of the table

Crawley Town welcome Shrewsbury Town to the Broadfield Stadium in League 1 on Saturday (15:00, Sky Sports+), with both sides struggling towards the bottom of the table.

They are both currently in the bottom four and just two points separate them heading into this match. Below you will find my Crawley vs Shrewsbury prediction, featuring the latest match odds and team news.

Crawley vs Shrewsbury Odds

Crawley are 21/20 to win this match, giving them a theoretical chance of 48.8%. Shrewsbury are priced at 2/1 to take the three points, which gives them an implied probability of 33.3%. The draw is available at 5/2 (28.6%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 8/11 and over 2.5 goals can be backed at 5/6.

Crawley's Junior Quitirna has scored three goals in League 1 so far this term, and he is 3/1 to score anytime on Saturday.

Football Odds

Team News 

Crawley remain without their captain Dion Conroy, who is yet to make a first-team appearance for the club this season. Boss Rob Elliot will have learned a lot from his squad over the last two matches and he might have a better understanding of what his best XI is ahead of this crunch clash at the bottom of the table.

Forward Will Swan is likely to come back in up front, and he is likely going to be supported by top scorer Quitirna and Ronan Darcy, who was on the scoresheet in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy defeat to AFC Wimbledon in midweek.

Joy Mukena was forced off with a knock in the defeat to Wycombe Wanderers last weekend and he wasn't included in the squad to face Wimbledon. It remains to be seen if he will be deemed okay to return to the squad at the weekend.

Midfielder Rushian Hepburn-Murphy also found the back of the net against the Dons, and he could be considered for a recall to the starting lineup in the league this weekend. Gavan Holohan has been on the bench for the last couple of league matches but he is waiting to make his first appearance of the season in the third tier.

He started against Wimbledon, so Elliot could be helping him build up his fitness before returning to action in what is shaping up to be a challenging survival mission for the Red Devils.

For Shrewsbury, Leo Castledine was handed a start in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy defeat to Birmingham City in the week, after impressing against Bolton Wanderers last Saturday. Mal Benning also made an appearance from the bench again, like he did against the Trotters last weekend.

Paul Hurst could consider starting them both for this gargantuan encounter, as they could have more joy against another struggling side than the League 1 leaders. The likes of Jordan Shipley, George Lloyd and Funso Ojo are expected to return to the starting XI for this one.

Draw or Shrewsbury @ 7/10

This is a very difficult game to call because both these sides have been very disappointing in League 1 so far. Crawley have managed to pick up two wins so far, which came from a bright start to the campaign under former boss Scott Lindsay. They are now winless in their last seven, and have lost four on the spin.

Shrewsbury have won just once this season and have played one game more than their hosts, and they have lost seven games this season already. With Crawley having a game in hand on them, it is imperative that the Shrews come away with a result in this contest, ideally a win.

With both sides being among the worst in the division, this game could go all sorts of ways. I definitely think it will be a low-scoring game because a lack of goals has been a problem for both teams this campaign. Crawley have managed just five so far, while Shrewsbury haven't had much better joy themselves with eight scored.

Out of the two sides, the visitors have looked slightly better of late, having managed two draws in their last three in the league. The latest one against Bolton was impressive, despite them throwing away a two-goal lead.

Last year's play-off finalists had won three on the spin before facing the Shrews, and a routine victory was expected. A result like that might just spur Hurst's men on for this massive fixture at Crawley.

With that in mind, I have gone for a double chance insurance selection here in favour of the visitors, who might just have enough to pick up a valuable three points. However, I'm more convinced we will see these two play out a low-scoring draw.

Both teams to score @ 8/11

I think both teams to score is also worth considering for this clash because it is a huge game for both sides that they have to win. This kind of fixture can be season-defining, so both sets of attackers will hope to be at their best on Saturday.

The main reason why I think both teams can score in this match is because they have both conceded a lot of goals and constantly look vulnerable at the back. Crawley have let in 13 already, while the Shrews have shipped 17 themselves.

Goals have been hard to come by for both teams but they are each about to face a very vulnerable defence, so I can see goals at both ends in this one.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.