In a crucial matchup near the top of the League Two standings, Cambridge United will be playing host to Grimsby Town at the Cledara Abbey Stadium this Tuesday.
The visitors have surged into playoff contention with two wins in a row, while Cambridge sit third and are riding a nine-game unbeaten streak.
Match preview
Cambridge United head back onto the pitch midweek hoping to keep their unbeaten run alive and solidify their spot in the automatic promotion places.
This season has been impressive for them under Neil Harris’s guidance – they’re currently third in England’s fourth tier after collecting 72 points from 38 games, winning 20 matches and losing just six, all while conceding only 28 goals, the fewest in the league.
Their climb into the top three is thanks to an unstoppable stretch since early November where they’ve lost just once and racked up 51 points across 24 games. Most recently, they’ve stayed undefeated for nine straight matches after that single defeat against Harrogate Town last month.
Following a dominant 5-0 win over Gillingham and a goalless draw at Walsall, Harris’s squad faced fellow promotion contenders Salford City on Tuesday. They kept their momentum going with a tight but vital 1-0 win thanks to James Gibbons scoring early in the second half.
Sitting third now with a two-point cushion above fourth place – and matching that gap behind second-placed MK Dons but with one extra game played – Cambridge will be aiming for back-to-back wins and extending their unbeaten run to ten games on Tuesday to strengthen their push for automatic promotion.
© Imago / Every Second Media
But it won’t be easy because Grimsby come with plenty of confidence too as they battle near the top end of League Two themselves.
Grimsby Town are looking to break into the playoffs for the first time since David Artell took charge. They’re currently seventh with 62 points from 38 matches after winning 17 times and losing ten.
Like Cambridge, Grimsby have seen their promotion hopes grow thanks to some great form this year – especially since late February when they picked up four wins and earned thirteen points from six games.
After splitting results with two wins, one draw, and one loss through mid-March, Artell’s team bounced back by beating Fleetwood Town at home before crushing Barrow on Saturday by five goals. Andy Cook opened scoring there while Kieran Green and Jaze Kabia both netted twice each.
Now holding onto League Two’s last playoff spot – plus having played fewer games than most around them fighting for those places – Grimsby travel to Cledara Abbey Stadium looking for a third consecutive win to firm up their position and maybe cut down that ten-point deficit behind Cambridge who hold automatic spots.
Cambridge United League Two form:
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Grimsby Town League Two form:
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Team News
© Iconsport / Mark Fletcher, MI News & Sport / Alamy
Cambridge United still can’t count on Michael Morrison, George Hoddle or Zak Bradshaw on Tuesday because of ongoing injuries.
Neil Harris is likely to stick with much of his starting lineup from Saturday’s win over Salford City. However, Shayne Lavery along with Elliott Nevitt, Adam Mayor and Korey Smith are all pushing hard for starting spots now.
Lavery could lead upfront replacing Louis Appere who has scored seven league goals so far this season. Meanwhile Sullay Kaikai leads Cambridge’s scorers in League Two with eight goals. Defensively Kelland Watts, Mamadou Jobe and James Gibbons are expected again as part of that back three formation.
Grimsby should also make only minor changes following their big 5-0 victory last weekend although Jamie Walker had to leave during the first half so he might miss out alongside Evan Khouri, Cameron Gardner, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming, Doug Tharme and Charles Vernam who remain sidelined too.
George Mc Eachran came on as Walker’s substitute but then was taken off later due to injury concerns meaning Clarke Oduor could start in midfield instead from kickoff this time around.
Andy Cook will keep leading Grimsby’s attack supported by Kieran Green and Jaze Kabia – both scored braces last match taking Green’s tally up to nine league goals this campaign while Kabia now has twelve strikes under his belt.
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Eastwood; Gibbons, Jobe, Watts; Bennett, Smith, Mpanzu, Brophy; Knight, Lavery , Kaikai
Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Smith ; Rodgers , Kacurri , Mc Jannet , Staunton ; Turi , Oduor ; Burns , Green , Kabia ; Cook
Our prediction: Cambridge United 1-1 Grimsby Town
Both teams look confident heading into this clash given how well they’ve done chasing promotion so far. Both sides have shown resilience when it comes down to avoiding defeats lately which suggests we’ll see a close competitive game here without either team pulling ahead clearly – so we reckon it’ll end level.
For stats-based insights about likely outcomes including scores please click here.
