In a match that could impact both the push for promotion and the fight for survival in League One, relegation-threatened Cambridge United are set to host high-flying Charlton Athletic at the Cledara Abbey Stadium on Saturday.
The U’s will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to five games this weekend, while the Addicks will be hoping to make it three wins from their last four.
Match preview
© Imago
Neil Harris‘s Cambridge may be one of the favourites for relegation to the fourth tier this season, but they have not lost since mid-March, and they will not give up their League One status without a fight.
Last time out, Southampton loanee Dominic Ballard‘s 75th-minute strike gave the U’s all three points in a narrow 1-0 win over bottom-club Shrewsbury Town, ending a span of seven games without victory.
That triumph took Harris’s side to 35 points, though they remain 23rd in the table and seven behind 20th-placed Bristol Rovers, as well as four behind 21st-placed Burton Albion, who have a game in hand on all of their relegation rivals.
Desperate to take anything from a game in which they are significant underdogs, Saturday’s hosts may draw confidence from the fact that they have only lost two of their last five matches at the Cledara Abbey Stadium, but considering that they have won just once on their own turf since January, they will be delighted to walk away with even a single point against the promotion hopefuls.
If Cambridge were to win this weekend, it would mark the first time since October that they have recorded back-to-back league wins, and they could find themselves only four points from safety with four games to play in a best-case scenario.
© Imago
Meanwhile, Nathan Jones‘s Charlton are in impressive form ahead of this weekend’s clash, and with their record of seven wins, two draws and one loss from their last 10 matches, they will be expecting to add to their tally.
Most recently, goals from Macaulay Gillesphey and Greg Docherty rescued a point for the Addicks in a 2-2 draw against Lincoln City on April 5.
That stalemate extended their unbeaten streak at The Valley to 13 games, but Jones will be disappointed to have dropped two points at home to a mid-table side considering that his team are now fifth, one point behind fourth-placed Stockport County.
That being said, Saturday’s visitors remain five points ahead of sixth-placed Reading and seven ahead of seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers, and they will be keen to maintain their distance from their playoff rivals with only five matches left to play.
Three points would be enough to take Charlton back up to fourth in League One, and having won three of their last five on the road, the Addicks will be dreaming of creating a 10-point cushion between themselves and the clubs outside of the playoff spots this weekend.
Team News
© Imago
Cambridge will be led out by captain Michael Morrison, who should be joined in Harris’s back three by James Gibbons and Kelland Watts this weekend.
Up top, strikers Ryan Loft and Dominic Ballard will be supported out wide by wing-backs Liam Bennett and James Brophy, while Josh Stokes operates in an attacking midfield role.
As for Charlton, last week’s heroes Macaulay Gillesphey and Greg Docherty should start once again, the former at the heart of defence alongside Tom McIntyre, and the latter at the base of midfield beside Conor Coventry.
Elsewhere, striker Matt Godden will be joined in the forward line by Karoy Anderson and Thierry Small, with Luke Berry just behind.
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Stevens; Gibbons, Morrison, Watts; Stevenson; Bennett, Digby, Stokes, Brophy; Loft, Ballard
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Mannion; Ramsay, McIntyre, Gillesphey, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; Small, Berry, Anderson; Godden
We say: Cambridge United 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Cambridge have proven tough to beat in recent weeks, so expect them to put up a fight despite the disparity in league position between the sides.
That being said, Charlton have lost just one of their last five on the road and are in excellent form more generally, making it difficult to picture anything other than three points for the Addicks on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
