Stevenage are looking to book their place in the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening, when they welcome Cambridge United to Broadhall Way in their Southern Group H clash.
The League Two hosts need to claim at least a point to make sure of their progression against their League One visitors, who have already confirmed their place after victory in each of their first two ties.
Match preview
After Tottenham Under-21s lost to Oxford United in their final match of Group H last month, Stevenage remained in second place ahead of their final tie on Tuesday.
However, they only find themselves in such a position due to their superior goal difference as things stand, with a defeat to Cambridge potentially costing them progression depending on the scoreline.
Alex Revell will be hoping his side can achieve a positive result in order to avoid any negative permutations, with a victory also giving them a chance of ousting Tuesday's opponents off top spot, and earning a favourable draw in the knockout stages in the process.
Although, achieving a win is easier said than done for the Boro this season, with just the four being registered from their 20 matches across all competitions so far this campaign.
That poor return has left Stevenage struggling in 21st place in League Two, with just two points separating them and Carlisle United in the relegation places.
With no wins since their 2-1 triumph at Oxford in the EFL Trophy in early October, Revell will be hoping that the cup can provide a positive distraction from the disappointments of the domestic action this season, and use it to gain some momentum and confidence ahead of their return to league football on Saturday.
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Meanwhile, a 4-1 victory over Oxford, followed by a 1-0 success against Tottenham's youngsters, has seen the visitors already confirm their spot in the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy.
As a result, just a draw, or even defeat by a one-goal margin on Tuesday will be enough for Mark Bonner's side to retain top spot and earn a better tie in the next round.
Success in the EFL Trophy so far this season has mirrored the bright start to the domestic campaign by the U's, as they find themselves in 10th place after the opening 16 games in their League One adventure.
Few could have predicted such a positive position after their promotion from League Two in 2020-21, which has been helped by back-to-back victories over AFC Wimbledon and Morecambe over the last couple of weeks.
Those wins were followed up with a 2-2 draw at Northampton Town in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday, with Sam Smith and Conor Masterson equalising for Cambridge in either half against their League Two opponents.
Bonner will be hoping for success against a different fourth-tier outfit on Tuesday, although he will be aware of the two 1-0 defeats his side suffered against Stevenage during the promotion-winning campaign last season.
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Team News
After making four changes ahead of the FA Cup tie at MK Dons on Saturday, Stevenage boss Revell got the response he was looking for from his players after the 5-0 defeat to Newport County the previous week.
Joseph Anang returned in goal and there were also recalls for Elliot Osborne, Terence Vancooten and Arthur Read, and with there being no fresh injury concerns after the draw, the same lineup could be named after an impressive display.
Meanwhile, Cambridge will assess the knock picked up by Shilow Tracey at the weekend ahead of the trip to Stevenage on Tuesday.
The winger was replaced at half time in the draw at Northampton, with James Brophy and Leon Davies among those competing for his place should he miss out.
Kai McKenzie-Lyle should return in goal after only featuring in this competition so far this season, whilst Jensen Weir and Harvey Knibbs could earn starts after making an impact off the bench on Saturday.
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Anang; Wildin, Cuthbert, Vancooten, Coker; Reeves, Taylor, Read, Barry; Osborne, List
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
McKenzie-Lyle; Williams, Okedina, Masterson, Iredale; Weir, Digby; Brophy, Knibbs, Smith; Ironside
We say: Stevenage 0-2 Cambridge United
Despite a bright response from Stevenage at the weekend, we can see them losing out to an impressive Cambridge side here, should they perform as well as they have done so far this season.
It could be a tight game but possessing the extra quality being in the division above, the visitors should be expected to overcome their hosts.
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 Cambridge United win with a probability of 45%. A win for Stevenage had a probability of 29.91% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Cambridge United win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.79%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.18%) and 0-2 (7.57%). The likeliest Stevenage win was 1-0 (7.69%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.88%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 7.7% likelihood.
