Rochdale vs Shrewsbury Town - Rochdale to assess number of players ahead of Shrewsbury clash

Rochdale will assess a number of players who missed out last time due to illness ahead of Friday's League One home clash with Shrewsbury.

Joe Thompson, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Donal McDermott and Harrison McGahey were all absent from the 3-0 home win over Chesterfield on Boxing Day having felt unwell.

Peter Vincenti and Brian Barry-Murphy remain sidelined through injury.

Keith Hill's fourth-placed Dale have won five of their last six league fixtures, and their last three in a row.

Shrewsbury trio Gary Deegan, Ivan Toney and skipper Adam El-Abd all return following two-match bans.

The players were forced to miss games at Bristol Rovers and Bolton, with Deegan and Toney collecting their 10th yellow cards of the season and El-Abd a second red in the FA Cup defeat at Fleetwood.

AJ Leitch-Smith (knee) and Ryan McGivern (shoulder) are out though and not expected to return for Paul Hurst's side for a few weeks.

Shaun Whalley is available and Joe Riley is closing in on a return after a knee injury.