Next up for Cambridge United in Sky Bet League One is a mammoth trek to Lancashire in midweek when they take on Blackpool at Bloomfield Road…
How to Watch
Tuesday evening’s rearranged clash in the North West gets underway at 7:45pm, with tickets still available for U’s fans to purchase either through cufctickets.com - up until 9pm on Monday evening - or alternatively, at the stadium on the day of the game.
Unable to attend? Back the boys from home via CUFC TV. Overseas supporters can stream the game live, whilst UK U’s can tune into audio commentary.
Please note, this match is not available to watch on Sky Sports+.
Opposition Focus
Established in 1887, the Tangerines were founding members of the Lancashire League before being invited to partake in the Football League nine years later. Their finest hour came in 1953 when they won the FA Cup, the start of a historic decade where they cemented themselves as one of the finest football clubs in the country thanks to the brilliance of Sir Stanley Matthews. Most recently, they enjoyed a stint in the Premier League in 2010 under the charismatic Ian Holloway, but a tough few seasons followed on and off the pitch, resulting in the Seasiders dropping as far as League Two. Nonetheless, they worked their way up under Neil Critchley, who couldn’t build on last season’s ranking of 8th and was replaced by Steve Bruce in September – with the vastly experienced gaffer undertaking what is expected to be a comfortable conclusion to the campaign.
Stability was a must for the hosts following a below-par start, where they failed to win any of their opening four matches. They responded well with a seven-game unbeaten run, but their streaky form continued as they went eight without victory before registering three successive away wins on the trot to breathe life heading into the Christmas period. Remarkably, since their Boxing Day defeat to Wrexham the side have lost once in their last 14 games, albeit nine of those have been draws. They arrive with confidence following an assuring 0-3 triumph at Barnsley last time out, which puts them in a comfortable 11th position. The inability to turn a point into all three means the gap from the top six is at 12 points, but the fact that the Tangerines are hard to beat is a very good platform to build upon.
Former top flight manager Bruce has opted with the classic 4-4-2 which has a good spine about it and ultimately has been effective churning out points. Looking to gain a third clean sheet in a row, loanee Harry Tyrer has worked his way up the pyramid over the years and has seamlessly settled into the third tier. A back four of Odel Offiah, Matt Pennington, Oliver Casey and Hayden Coulson is expected ahead of him, whose styles suit each other well. Pulling the strings in the middle of the park are former Welsh international Lee Evans and creative spark Albie Morgan, who’s been a consistent performer since his 2023 arrival. Rob Apter, who enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with Tranmere Rovers last season, has been a mainstay on the right, while Sonny Carey will be full of confidence after bagging a brace last weekend. In the attacking department, Niall Ennis has been a handful since making the move in January, whereas the experienced Ashley Fletcher is top scorer with eight goals to his name. Waiting in the wings, former Premier League midfielder Josh Onomah, poacher Jake Beesley and exciting Australian Samuel Silvera.
Form Guide
- 15/02/2025 – Blackpool 3-3 Mansfield Town – Sky Bet League One
- 22/02/2025 – Blackpool 3-1 Crawley Town – Sky Bet League One
- 01/03/2025 – Stockport County 2-1 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
- 04/03/2025 – Blackpool 0-0 Peterborough United – Sky Bet League One
- 08/03/2025 – Barnsley 0-3 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
The Amber Angle
The U’s were unable to reduce their gap from League One safety last time out, as a disappointing afternoon in Greater Manchester saw Wigan Athletic secure a slender 1-0 victory late on.
Despite being in the ascendency for a large period of the match, where Neil Harris’ men took the game to the hosts by creating some good opportunities, they could not find a clinical edge and faded as the second half progressed. As a result, the Latics capitalised through Luke Robinson 10 minutes from time, before shutting up shop to comfortably seal the points, which means United now languish second from bottom with a 10-point gap from Bristol Rovers in 20th.
Cutting a frustrated figure post-match, the Head Coach admitted: “We dominated the ball, we made countless opportunities and couldn’t get our noses in front. Ultimately the game has got away from us because we turned the ball over too cheaply and we don’t defend our six-yard box well enough.”
With the remaining 11 matches coming thick and fast, attention swiftly turns to the meeting by the seaside, with Harris determined to ensure his side improve their application from the first whistle to the last, saying: “I’ve come to change results like that not going our way. Obviously as a group they’ve lived it time and time again this season, I won’t accept it – I’m not here for that. We will get better.”
Form Guide
- 15/02/2025 - Cambridge United 0-1 Exeter City – Sky Bet League One
- 22/02/2025 – Cambridge United 2-0 Stockport County – Sky Bet League One
- 01/03/2025 – Crawley Town 0-2 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
- 04/03/2025 – Cambridge United 0-1 Stevenage – Sky Bet League One
- 08/03/2025 – Wigan Athletic 1-0 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
Head-to-Head
- Blackpool Wins: 5
- Cambridge United Wins: 4
- Draws: 5
Last Time We Met
Saturday 24th August 2024 – Cambridge United 4-4 Blackpool – Sky Bet League One
It was a barnstorming matchup at CB5 back in August as the U’s got up and running for the season by rescuing a share of the spoils with a mighty comeback in a 4-4 thriller. Tested from the get-go, James Husband drew first blood early on in the encounter but was cancelled out by Shayne Lavery on the half an hour mark, who opened his account. The visiting defender soon grabbed his brace with a carbon copy corner, before the Tangerines steamed ahead thanks to Kyle Joseph and Dom Ballard. Just when the points looked sealed, United became unplayable and roared towards a point through Danny Andrew’s free-kick, Brandon Njoku’s first professional strike and Lavery again to haunt his former club. The line-up on that rain-soaked afternoon: Reyes, O’Riordan, Ibsen Rossi, Andrew, Bennett, Smith, Digby, Brophy, Kaikai, Barton, Lavery.
Officials
- Referee: Scott Tallis
- Assistant Referee: Keiran Forrest
- Assistant Referee: Daniel Robinson
- Fourth Official: Aaron Jackson