Four wins from 17 league matches this season has seen Shrewsbury spend most of the campaign in the relegation zone – only once this season have Salop entered a match outside the bottom four.
Their form has in part been hampered by disruption on the touchline, as manager Steve Cotterill has only recently returned to the dugout following complications with Covid-19.
Stability will be crucial for the side from Shropshire if they are to extend their five-year stay in the third tier, and the visit of playoff-chasing Sunderland could prove the perfect spark needed to ignite their season.
Victory over the Black Cats at New Meadow last season was the second consecutive campaign that Shrewsbury had beaten Sunderland at home.
In fact, Sunderland have won only one of their three trips to New Meadow during their time in League One, with Lee Johnson’s side hoping for better returns on Tuesday.
Saturday’s victory over Ipswich Town ended a run of two consecutive defeats for Sunderland, who had dropped from third at the start of October to seventh at the end of the month.
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Back in the playoff mix, Sunderland will be eyeing up their midweek clash against relegation candidates Shrewsbury as a potential launchpad for the upcoming busy period, yet victories on the road have been hard to come by this season.
Sunderland have lost more away games than they have won this season, with four of their five league defeats having come away from the comforts of the Stadium of Light.
A troublesome record at New Meadow, coupled with their uninspiring away record could frighten an under-pressure Johnson, who has been tasked with returning Sunderland to the Championship after a three-year absence
