Sunderland know they have a brilliant opportunity to reach the Fourth Round of the FA Cup when they head to Shrewsbury Town this weekend. It's the first ever meeting between the two sides in the FA Cup, with the Black Cats winning the only ever previous cup game 1-0 back in the League Cup in 2016.
However, the Shrews are unbeaten at home against Sunderland in their last three games, winning two and drawing one back in League One. Red and white supporters need no reminding how dismal their previous FA Cup endeavours have been, being dumped out of the competition by lower league opposition in their last two seasons, a third would make it their worst run in the competition since 1967-1970 where they were dumped out by lower league sides in three consecutive seasons.
Tony Mowbray's side have had a full week to recover from their draw against Blackpool on New Year's Day, but he could still make a number of changes in order to give fringe players the opportunity to impress. The Black Cats have back-to-back home games against Swansea City and Middlesbrough to think about.
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One change Mowbray could make is to give Alex Bass an opportunity between the sticks. The summer arrival has seen his game time limited due to the incredible form of Anthony Patterson.
The Academy of Light graduate has missed just one game in all competitions this season, with Bass starting in the Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. The latter of the two could be given an opportunity to impress while giving Patterson a breather.
Leon Dajaku is another who has struggled for game time this season having played just 20 minutes worth of football in the last eight games. The German has struggled since the Wearsiders won promotion to the Championship, but he could be given some action this weekend.
Niall Huggins completed his long awaited return form injury last month, but has not featured for the Black Cats since playing 90 minutes against Birmingham. The former Leeds United youngster has been left out of the squad since then, despite an impressive return.
Jay Matete is another who has struggled for minutes this season but has been a mainstay in Sunderland's Under-21s campaign. He's been a consistent performer for the youth side and has shown he's above that level.
The former Fleetwood Town midfielder is one who could potentially leave the club on loan in January, but he could be given one last opportunity to stake his claim this weekend. The final change Mowbray could make, would be giving Jewison Bennette a start at the League One side.
Bennette hasn't featured for the Black Cats since returning from the World Cup with Costa Rica. The young forward has been an unused substitute since his return to Wearside and the game against Shrewsbury would be another good opportunity to get some minutes under his belt.
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