Free-scoring Fleetwood can silence the Shrews

Shrewsbury v Fleetwood

Reaching the FA Cup third round is massively important for the lower Sky Bet Football League clubs and Fleetwood can make sure they are still in the hat for Monday’s draw by gaining a positive result from their trip to Shrewsbury.

No two matches of football are the same but Fleetwood won 3-0 at home to Shrewsbury only last month and it was a surprise to see them initially priced up as outsiders for this tie.

There was a move towards Fleetwood this week but they still look fair value, although the draw no bet is preferred as Uwe Rosler’s men would probably settle for two cracks at finishing the job, as were needed to see off Southport in the first round.

Fleetwood have scored in every Sky Bet League One match this season and were gutted to leave Wimbledon with a 2-2 draw last time out despite needing a late Conor McLaughlin equaliser.

Even Wombles boss Neal Ardley admitted Fleetwood should have been out of sight in the first half but the point moved them up to eighth in the table. Hosts Shrewsbury are bottom and 14 points inferior to Fleetwood.

Shrewsbury beat Sky Bet League Two Barnet easily enough in round one but they have struggled massively in their own grade this term.

Paul Hurst, the recently appointed manager, has attempted to tighten them up which he has done to some extent but Shrewsbury have won once in their last 14 league matches.

Two of their three league victories this season came against fellow bottom-four outfits Chesterfield and Oldham and outside of a win against Oxford there is nothing in the form book to suggest Salop can win this match at the first attempt.

Recommendation
Fleetwood draw no bet
1pt 10-11 Hills

Wigan v Derby

How Derby must wish the season could start now.

Their troubles under Nigel Pearson seem like a lifetime ago and, after moving up to ninth in the Sky Bet Championship, they can kick on again with a fifth straight success when the Rams visit Wigan.

Derby have kept three clean sheets in those four games and scored nine goals in the process.

There is a doubt over Darren Bent but depth is not a problem for McClaren, who had a substitutes bench containing Andreas Weimann and Matej Vydra for last week’s 1-0 win over Norwich.

Wigan got back to winning ways themselves on Monday with a 2-1 smash-and-grab success over Huddersfield. However, Athletic have failed to score in five of their last six home games.

Recommendation
Derby
1pt 13-10 general

Leverkusen v Freiburg

A curtailed domestic coupon with so many FA Cup ties left over until tomorrow means it is slim pickings this week but there could be a worthwile punt in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen fancied to beat Freiburg with something to spare.

Freiburg, in 11th after last season’s promotion, have played seven matches currently above them in the Bundesliga, and it does not make pretty reading for anyone who likes the idea of an upset at the BayArena.

Those seven games have resulted in six defeats and a total of 18 goals have been conceded.

Leverkusen continue to find ways not to win matches and following them is becoming increasingly expensive, but they are one of the best sides in the Bundesliga as they showed by qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League.

Recommendation
Leverkusen -1 on Asian handicap
1pt 17-20 bet365, 188Bet

Langdon’s plays of the day

Banker
Man City 6-5
The best games rarely produce the best bets but on this occasion it has. Manchester City are worth backing to beat Chelsea.

Blowout
Sheffield Wednesday 4-5
This match could be trickier than the prices suggest. Preston, well-organised under Simon Grayson, have lost only to Newcastle (twice) in their last 12 matches.

Accumulator
Man City 6-5, Lyon 7-10, Seville 5-6, Atletico Madrid 1-4 Hills

Both teams to score
Games at Blackburn 10-11, Stevenage 8-11, Sampdoria 5-7, 188Bet

Hotshot
M Gregoritsch 10-1 bet365
The decision to use Gregoritsch as an out-and-out striker at Hamburg rather than a midfielder seems to have gone unnoticed by the bookmakers.

An away game at Darmstadt is one of the easiest on the Bundesliga calendar and Gregoritsch scored twice for Hamburg in the derby against Bremen last week. He had seven shots and three were on target.