Fighting hard to keep their playoff push on track, top-six chasing Stevenage will welcome mid-table dwellers Cambridge United to the Lamex Stadium for a League One contest on Tuesday night.
The Boro returned to winning ways against EFL Trophy finalists Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, while the U's suffered another defeat in front of their home faithful.
Match preview
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Following a worrying four-game winless run in League One which threatened to seriously derail their top-six charge, Stevenage recorded a much-needed maximum against Matt Bloomfield's Wycombe on Saturday afternoon at the Lamex Stadium, with an unlikely duo working in unison to hand the hosts three points.
Finding the net for the fourth time in the third tier during 2023-24, centre-back Carl Piergianni breached the goal of Maksymilian Stryjek in the 23rd minute, being set up perfectly by backline partner Daniel Sweeney, who had only managed two goal contributions before the weekend.
Steve Evans's side currently occupy seventh position in the League One standings, sitting just a single point behind sixth-placed Oxford United who have played two games more than Stevenage, meaning that there is a chance for Tuesday's hosts to jump into the playoffs with a victory over Cambridge.
After netting a respectable tally of 10 goals in 45 League Two appearances last term as the Boro charged to promotion, Jamie Reid has set the third tier alight this season, making the net ripple on 17 occasions in 31 League One appearances - 13 times more than any of his teammates.
The Lamex Stadium has proved a difficult place for third-tier opponents to visit and escape with all three points in 2023-24 - the Boro have been defeated in just three of their 16 league matches in front of their supporters this campaign, with only league leaders Portsmouth suffering fewer losses on home soil.
After a resounding four-goal success at newly-promoted Carlisle United on February 17, Cambridge United have been unable to collect any points from back-to-back home matches over the past week, losing to Bolton Wanderers last Tuesday before being defeated by promotion chasers Peterborough United on Saturday afternoon.
During a match in which the U's only managed one shot inside the box of Posh goalkeeper Jed Steer, Darren Ferguson's side were in control for the majority of the 90 minutes and earned maximum points in the second period, with Ephron Mason-Clark netting his 11th third-tier goal of the campaign.
Since Barry Corr was whisked in to replace Mark Bonner in the managerial hotseat during November, Cambridge have failed to collect the points required to significantly move away from relegation worries, with Tuesday's visitors sat in 17th place in the League One table, five points ahead of 21st-placed Cheltenham Town.
Only the aforementioned Robins, Charlton Athletic, Reading and Carlisle have earned fewer points on the road than the U's during the 2023-24 season so far, although Cambridge's last two victories have arrived away from Abbey Stadium, including a 2-1 win at Shrewsbury Town on February 3.
The reverse fixture in the middle of August produced an early-term maximum for Stevenage at Abbey Stadium, with strikes from Jordan Roberts and leading marksman Reid sandwiching an 80th-minute effort from Cambridge's Elias Kachunga, who joined the U's in the summer from Bolton Wanderers.
Team News
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After keeping a clean sheet last time out in the win over Wycombe, Stevenage are expected to name an unchanged defence, with Nick Freeman and Dan Butler operating as wing-backs.
With centre-back Piergianni providing the moment of attacking inspiration on the weekend, the Boro could rotate their forward line, meaning that Vadaine Oliver and Finley Burns might be promoted from the bench.
Despite losing back-to-back home matches over the past week, Cambridge are expected to retain a centre-back pairing which provides plenty of Championship experience in the form of Ryan Bennett and Michael Morrison.
There might be an alteration at right-back for the U's, though, with Liam Bennett potentially earning a spot in the XI at the expense of James Gibbons.
Collecting 29 minutes of first-team football off the bench this season, 18-year-old talent Brandon Njoku is pushing for his EFL full debut at the Lamex Stadium.
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Ashby-Hammond; Freeman, Sweeney, Vancooten, Piergianni, Butler; Roberts, Forster-Caskey, Thompson, MacDonald; Hemmings
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Stevens, L Bennett, R Bennett, Morrison, Andrew; Cousins, Thomas, Kaikai, Lankester, Brophy; Kachunga
We say: Stevenage 2-0 Cambridge United
Stevenage will be feeling a whole lot better following the win over Wycombe on Saturday, and the visit of Cambridge represents a real opportunity for the Boro to burst into the top six.
The U's appear to be going nowhere quick under the interim management of Corr, so we are expecting a third-straight loss for United on Tuesday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
