United will be aiming to bounce back following Tuesday night’s defeat, as they prepare to face off against Burton on Saturday (12th February)…
Form
Head Coach Mark Bonner made no secret prior to the U’s clash with Bolton at the start of the month that their next batch of fixtures would be the toughest of the season, having seen key duo Jack Iredale and Joe Ironside added to the growing list of injuries at the Abbey Stadium.
Cambridge United form: LDLLL
Despite Vadaine Oliver condemning the U’s to their third defeat in as many games just three minutes from time on Tuesday night, five wins, two draws and just the single defeat on penalties against Rotherham United in the Papa John’s Trophy throughout January saw U’s Head Coach Mark Bonner nominated for League One’s Manager of the Month award a day later.
Burton themselves have also enjoyed a mini resurgence, after picking up points in five of their opening eight League One games of 2022. However, much like the U’s have struggled throughout February, losing three of their last four games.
Burton Albion form: DLWLL
Most recently, despite Gassan Ahadme scoring against his former club to half the deficit five minutes into the second half, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s men were unable to complete a comeback against Portsmouth, having fallen two-goals behind in the first half.
Down Memory Lane
The U’s and the Brewers have met on 15 occasions throughout history, with United’s most recent win in August seeing the U’s take the edge over Burton when it comes to head-to-head, winning on six occasions compared to the Brewers’ five.
Most notably, both sides faced off in the 2007/08 Conference Premier play-off final, where United overcame Burton over two legs before losing to Exeter in the play-off final.
August’s meeting saw Mark Bonner’s men pick up their first win in the third division in almost two decades, after Sam Smith’s goal, coupled with a brace of own goals from Tom Hamer saw United run out 3-0 winners at the Abbey Stadium.
Back in 2015, goals from Tom Elliott and Robbie Simpson weren’t enough for any points, as Burton, the eventual 14/15 League Two champions ran out 3-2 winners on the day.
This weekend’s fixture will be the second time the two sides have met in the third tier.
Quick Quotes
U’s Head Coach Mark Bonner is looking forward to Saturday’s clash but expects this weekend’s Burton team to line-up differently to the one in which the U’s beat in August.
“They [Burton] use a different formation from when we last played them. They deployed a back four earlier in the season however have since switched to a back three now. They’ve had a couple of disappointing results, but in the main, they'll be delighted with where they are – similar to us really, I think.
“They’re pretty much level with where we are in the table at the moment and you look at the middle of the table and you say ourselves, Burton, Accrington and Portsmouth, we’re all in a really similar spot and over the next two games we play Burton and Accrington, which gives us a great opportunity to see if we can wrestle around with them in the middle of the table.”
Officials
Marc Edwards has been appointed as referee for Saturday afternoon’s Sky Bet League One clash between The U’s and Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.
He will be assisted by Grant Taylor and Steven Plane. The fourth official will be Conor Brown.
How to watch
Fans who missed the deadline for pre-sales ahead of Saturday’s clash can buy directly at the Pirelli Stadium on the day, with tickets priced at the following:
Seated Adults: £24
Seated Over 65: £22
Seated 17-22: £22
Seated U17: £14
Terrace Adult: £20
Terrace Over 65: £18
Terrace 17-22: £15
Terrace U17: £7
International U’s will be able stream the action live with an iFollow Match Pass. Match Passes cost £10 and are available to purchase by clicking here.
The best way to stream the match is by doing so via the EFL iFollow App but please note, the App is only for streaming and supporters can't purchase their Match Passes through the application.