In the FA Cup’s second round, Garry Monk’s Cambridge United will welcome their League One rivals Wigan Athletic to Cledara Abbey Stadium this Saturday.
During the first round, struggling Cambridge managed a 1-0 victory away at National League side Woking, while Wigan traveled to Carlisle United from League Two and secured a 2-0 win.
Match preview
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Cambridge currently sit third from bottom in League One with 13 points, placing them 22nd – one of four relegation spots in the division.
Monk’s team hasn’t won in their last four league matches, drawing the most recent three. They also suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat against mid-table Peterborough United on November 9.
Their latest game saw Sullay Kaikai score an 89th-minute header to snatch a draw for a tough Cambridge side that played with ten men after Jubril Okedina was sent off early in the second half against Bolton Wanderers.
Even with their recent struggles, The U’s aren’t out of it yet – they’re only three points shy of climbing out of the drop zone and have lost just once in their last nine games. Before the loss to Peterborough, they even had a five-game winning streak across all competitions.
That said, only Stevenage has scored fewer goals than Cambridge this season in the league. They’ll definitely need to find ways to boost their attack if they want to stay up.
Although knocked out of the League Cup by Championship side Queens Park Rangers back in August, Cambridge’s last two wins came from cup games. Monk’s squad will be hoping for a good run here to kick off their 2024-25 season on a high note.
The U’s defeated Chelsea U21s in the EFL Trophy on November 5 and got past Woking in the FA Cup on November 2. Now they have another chance this weekend against Wigan – who they beat 2-0 earlier this October.
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Shaun Maloney’s Wigan are sitting mid-table at 15th place with seven more points than Cambridge after sixteen games. They’ll be aiming for a fourth straight win when they meet The U’s this weekend.
Unlike Cambridge, Wigan have either won or advanced from four of their last five matches across all competitions. Their only slip-up was a narrow 1-0 loss against league leaders Wycombe Wanderers.
Their most recent game was a solid 2-1 victory over Northampton Town on November 26 thanks to two first-half goals by Thelo Aasgaard and Jonny Smith that gave them control early on.
Defensively speaking, Wigan boast one of the best records in League One so far – conceding just thirteen goals this season. That strong defense could give Cambridge’s struggling offense quite a headache.
However, Maloney’s men have scored only one goal more than Cambridge so far this season. Keeping things tight at the back will be vital if they want to move into round three of the FA Cup this weekend.
Cambridge United FA Cup form:
Cambridge United form (all competitions):
Wigan Athletic FA Cup form:
Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):
Team News
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The absence of defender Okedina due to his red card against Bolton means Monk might bring Zeno Ibsen Rossi into the starting lineup; he came off the bench during that match as cover.
Sullay Kaikai could also retain his spot after scoring that crucial late equalizer recently for Cambridge.
Away from home, Maloney has said he plans to pick his strongest squad because there’s big incentive-a potential clash with a Premier League club if they get through to round three of the FA Cup.
You can expect goalkeeper Sam Tickle protected by captain Jason Kerr and Will Aimson at center-back; midfield roles filled again by Aasgaard following his goal versus Northampton; plus Nottingham Forest loanee Dale Taylor leading up front for Wigan.
Possible starting XI for Cambridge United: Reyes; Rossi, Morrison, Andrew; Bennett, Cousins, Smith, Brophy; Kai Kai, Loft, Njoku
Possible starting XI for Wigan Athletic: Tickle; Sibbick, Kerr, Aimson, Sessegnon; M. Smith, J. Smith, Weir, Aasgaard, Thomas; Taylor
Our prediction: Cambridge United 1-2 Wigan Athletic
This should be an evenly matched tie between two teams who don’t score much but really want that spot in round three when Premier League teams join up again for real drama in the cup competition.
But coming into this game confident after back-to-back league wins might give Wigan an edge – especially given how solid they’ve been defensively – so expect them maybe nicking it by a close scoreline.
For stats-driven insights on likely outcomes and scores click here.
