Shrewsbury made a bright start to September with back-to-back league victories against Forest Green Rovers and Exeter City, beating the former 2-0 on the road and the latter 3-2 on home soil.
However, Steve Cotterill’s side have since suffered successive defeats to Port Vale in two different competitions, firstly losing 2-1 away from home in the third tier before suffering a heavy 4-0 home defeat in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, albeit with a much-rotated side.
With their hopes of progression from the EFL Trophy group stage all but over, Shrewsbury now turn their attention back to League One, where they currently sit 12th in the table after claiming three victories, three draws and three defeats from their nine matches.
Consistency has been lacking for Cotterill and co, but Saturday’s fixture against Burton will be viewed as a good opportunity to begin a strong run of form as they bid to climb towards the playoff positions.
The Shrews have won two of their last three meetings with the Brewers, including last season’s 2-0 away win in February, and a victory this weekend could see them climb as high as fifth in the table if other results were to go their way.
Meanwhile, Burton’s five-game losing run in League One came to an end last weekend when they secured a 2-0 victory away against Exeter.
After a goalless first half, the Brewers scored twice within six second-half minutes courtesy of strikes from Deji Oshilaja and Davis Keillor-Dunn, before holding on for their first victory of the campaign.
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Claiming three points and a clean sheet will have delighted head coach Dino Maamria, who replaced Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at the beginning of this month, and his side have since built on the victory with a 3-2 success away against Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.
While Burton are top of their group in the EFL Trophy, they remain at the foot of the League One standings and four points adrift from safety, but there are grounds for optimism as four of their next five opponents are currently in the bottom half of the table.
The Brewers also have an impressive away record against Saturday’s challengers Shrewsbury, as they are unbeaten in each of their last six visits to New Meadow, including a 1-0 win in August last season.
