Wrexham will be aiming to make it four straight wins in League One when the promotion contenders head to a struggling Cambridge United on Tuesday night.
The visitors are currently second in the League One table, three points clear of third-placed Wycombe Wanderers, while Cambridge United are 23rd, 11 points behind 20th-placed Bristol City in the battle to remain in the division.
Match preview
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Cambridge United’s winless run in League One stretched to six matches on Saturday afternoon when they drew 1-1 with Northampton Town, and Neil Harris‘ side have an awful lot to do if they are to escape the relegation zone at this stage of the campaign.
Indeed, the strugglers are 23rd in the table, with a record of seven wins, 10 draws and 22 defeats from 39 matches bringing them 31 points, and they are 11 points behind 20th-placed Bristol Rovers with just seven games left to play.
Harris said that “a really poor” first half cost them against Northampton, with Sam Hoskins sending the visitors ahead in the 26th minute, before Cambridge United levelled early in the second half through James Brophy.
It is incredibly difficult to imagine this season ending without relegation, but a victory over one of the standout teams in the division on Tuesday night would certainly give their supporters something to cheer.
The two teams played out a 2-2 draw in the reverse match in Wales earlier this season, but Cambridge United have not managed to overcome Tuesday’s opponents since a 2-1 success in the FA Cup back in January 2000.
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Wrexham, meanwhile, will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Exeter City, which made it nine points from the last nine available, and Phil Parkinson‘s side have moved above Wycombe into second spot in the table.
The Welsh club have a record of 23 wins, eight draws and eight defeats from 39 league matches this season, with a total of 77 points leaving them in second, three clear of third-placed Wycombe in the race for promotion.
The League One title is surely beyond Wrexham this term, with Birmingham City nine points clear at the summit with two games in hand, but the Welsh team are now in pole position to secure the runners-up spot and a position in the Championship.
Parkinson’s team have won five of their last six in League One, but they have dropped points in 10 of their 19 league games away from their own stadium this season, which is a record that will hand Cambridge United confidence.
Wrexham are bidding to create some incredible history this season, with the club looking to become the first team to secure three successive promotions in the top five tiers of English football.
Team News
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Cambridge United head coach Harris could make two changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Northampton.
Harris was unhappy with his team’s performance in the opening half of action on Saturday, and that could lead to Liam Bennett and Ryan Loft being introduced into the side.
Elias Kachunga is the team’s leading goalscorer in League One this season, finding the back of the net on six occasions, and there will be another start in a wide position for the attacker on Tuesday night.
As for Wrexham, no fresh injuries have been reported from the win over Exeter at the weekend.
Head coach Parkinson could therefore send the same XI onto the field, with Jay Rodriguez, who was on the scoresheet last time out, set to support Sam Smith in the final third of the field.
Paul Mullin was again left out of the squad against Exeter and is not expected to be recalled for this game, with the 30-year-old currently out of favour despite scoring 105 goals in 165 appearances for Wrexham since his arrival.
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Bishop; Gibbons, Morrison, Watts, Bennett; Digby, Stevenson; Kachunga, Stokes, Brophy; Loft
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Cleworth, O’Connell, Brunt; Longman, Dobson, James, Rathbone, McClean; Rodriguez; Smith
We say: Cambridge United 0-2 Wrexham
Cambridge are chasing a first success over Wrexham in over 25 years, but we are finding it very difficult to back the hosts here; Wrexham are flying at the moment, and the Welsh outfit should be able to navigate their way to all three points without too much fuss.
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