After their recent run of success came to an end in midweek, Cambridge United will aim to get back to winning ways on Saturday, as they travel to League One strugglers Fleetwood Town.
Despite losing their EFL Trophy quarter-final on penalties, the visitors will arrive at Highbury Stadium having won each of their five fixtures since starting the year with a draw, while their hosts are still fighting for survival.
Match preview
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Finally bringing to an end their unbeaten start to 2022, Cambridge crashed out of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday - losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Rotherham United, to whom they have now lost three times this season.
United came up just short after Paul Digby's 40th-minute goal had levelled the match and ultimately forced a spot-kick lottery, with Adam May the unfortunate man to miss following 13 successive penalties scored.
As a result, Mark Bonner's men missed the chance to reach the competition's semi-finals for the first time since 2003, and will now have to return their attention to matters in League One.
Sitting in mid-table, they moved closer to the top half of the standings with a victory over relegation-threatened Crewe last Saturday and are currently nine points clear of the relegation zone - only 10 adrift of the playoff spots.
Inching closer to securing successive seasons in the third tier - having been in the fourth flight or lower for almost 20 years - a stunning FA Cup success against Newcastle United grabbed national headlines, and their recent upturn confirms the quietly competent job Bonner has done of late.
Before meeting Luton Town in the fourth round next month, back-to-back games in Lancashire - both against bottom-half opposition - will surely be seen as an opportunity to further climb the table.
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Having drawn September's reverse fixture 2-2 at the Abbey Stadium, Fleetwood are in need of a similar result or better on Saturday afternoon, as they continue to toil close to the League One drop zone.
Though last week's loss at Charlton was only their second in seven matches - seeing Stephen Crainey's side emerge from the bottom four - their last-gasp draw in midweek still leaves them languishing in 19th.
An upturn in fortunes during recent weeks has helped the Cod Army's new manager settle in at Highbury Stadium, where they salvaged a point in a thrilling climax to the 3-3 draw with Plymouth on Tuesday.
Late goals from Ellis Harrison and former Republic of Ireland winger Anthony Pilkington brought Fleetwood back from the dead, after they approached the final minute of normal time trailing 3-1 to the promotion-chasing Pilgrims.
A total of four wins and three draws from Crainey's first 11 games in charge has certainly built confidence in the camp, but there remains much defensive work to do after leaking five goals in their last two games - bringing the total amount conceded this term to 48.
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Team News
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A number of changes were made by Mark Bonner in midweek as his side slipped out of the EFL Trophy, but the Cambridge manager is set to restore several regulars to the starting lineup on Saturday.
Having fielded what the manager believed to be his 19th back four combination of the season in the loss to Rotherham, defensive pair Jack Iredale and Sam Sherring should now return.
Veteran playmaker Wes Hoolahan and Jack Lankester are also expected to be available after missing Tuesday's tie, but FA Cup hero Joe Ironside faces more time on the sidelines with an ankle injury which has forced him to miss the last two matches, so Sam Smith should lead the line once again.
Meanwhile, Preston North End midfielder Josh Harrop has joined Fleetwood on loan for the rest of the season from the Championship club, having made only a single first-team appearance during the past year.
If selected, he would join former North End captain Tom Clarke in the hosts' squad, while Harrison Biggins is pushing for a place in the side having recently returned from a hamstring injury and Anthony Pilkington will hope his late strike in midweek sees him promoted from the bench.
Stephen Crainey's most significant absentee will be skipper Jordan Rossiter, who has been out since October and is not set to return until late next month.
Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:
Cairns; Johnson, Clarke, Jules, Andrew; Matete, Biggins, Camps; Lane, Harrison, Johnston
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Williams, Sherring, Iredale, Dunk; May, Digby; Knibbs, Hoolahan, Brophy; Smith
We say: Fleetwood Town 2-1 Cambridge United
Fleetwood can close the gap between the clubs to just four points with a victory, and recent results suggest that they are capable of winning a fourth game from six Highbury Stadium outings since the start of December.
Though their dramatic cup exit will not derail their opponents, momentum could be stalled, and an impressive unbeaten run may come to an end on Saturday.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Fleetwood Town win with a probability of 42.01%. A win for Cambridge United had a probability of 32.18% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fleetwood Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.84%) and 2-0 (7.19%). The likeliest Cambridge United win was 0-1 (8.5%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.25%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood.
