Cambridge United’s attention turns towards keeping their Bristol Street Motors Trophy hopes alive in midweek, with victory the minimum requirement against Chelsea U21s at the Cledara Abbey Stadium…
How to Watch
The final Southern Group C clash gets underway at the earlier time of 7pm on Tuesday. Only the Main Stand will be open for this fixture, with tickets at a reduced rate of £14 for Adults, £8 Concessions and just £5 for Under 18s. To secure your seat, you can either purchase online at cufctickets.com, call 01223 566500 (option 1) or by visiting the Cledara Abbey Stadium Ticket Office.
Unable to attend? Fans in the UK can still watch every second of the action live on Sky Sports+, which is broadcasting every kick in the competition as part of the new five-year agreement. Overseas supporters can tune in on CUFC TV.
Opposition Focus
Under the guidance of Portuguese Filipe Coelho, announced in the summer following an impressive season with the youth setup at Estoril, Chelsea’s youngsters arrive at CB5 knowing that three points will seal their place in the knockout stages.
The Blues, who currently sit 9th in Premier League 2, will look to embark a similar sort of mazy run that saw them reach the semi-finals in 2017/18, where the likes of Reece James, Ethan Ampadu, Trevoh Chalobah and Callum Hudson-Odoi benefitted them the experience against professionals. So far, they’ve dispatched Bromley with an entertaining 2-3 success at Hayes Lane, but last time out were comfortably swept aside 3-0 by Charlton Athletic. They’ll need to be at their best and alert against the in-form hosts, but have the confidence to take the encounter to a stubborn defence.
England U19 international Max Merrick is likely to keep his place between the sticks, with Chelsea playing a back four ahead of him that could consist of Richard Olise, Brodi Hughes, Kaiden Wilson and Ishe Samuels-Smith. The likes of Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Alex Matos, Tyrique George and captain Harvey Vale – who impressed on loan at Bristol Rovers last season – have all been on the fringes of the first team, with former Santos striker Deivid Washington expected to help lead the line.
Form Guide
- 04/10/2024 – Fulham U21 0-6 Chelsea U21 – Premier League 2
- 21/10/2024 – Bournemouth U21 1-4 Chelsea U21 – Premier League Cup
- 25/10/2024 – Chelsea U21 3-1 Leicester City U21 – Premier League 2
- 29/10/2024 – Charlton Athletic 3-0 Chelsea U21 – EFL Trophy Group Stage
- 01/11/2024 – Chelsea U21 2-1 Arsenal U21 – Premier League 2
The Amber Angle
The U’s eye-catching upsurge in form continued at the weekend as they made it four wins on the spin after finding a way to overcome Woking 0-1 and advance to the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
In similar fashion to the slender victory against Burton Albion the week prior, United were pushed all the way and were made to work against a very determined non-league outfit. The Cardinals certainly had their share of the opportunities, but Garry Monk’s men persevered and secured their passage when James Brophy fired home a fine counter-attack – his first goal since October 2021.
Reflecting on the cup affair, the Head Coach said: “The main thing about today was coming here to compete really hard against what we knew would be a team competing hard, and get through the tie, and we managed to do that.”
With the excitement of the Cambridgeshire derby around the corner, the sole aim for now is to stretch the victory and clean-sheet record against a young and energetic Chelsea outfit. Due to the solitary point from their first two in the tournament - coming via the penalty shoot-out defeat at Bromley - the U’s simply must win during 90 minutes to ensure they live to fight another day in the competition.
Form Guide
- 05/10/2024 – Exeter City 1-0 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
- 19/10/2024 – Cambridge United 2-0 Wigan Athletic – Sky Bet League One
- 22/10/2024 – Stevenage 0-2 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
- 26/10/2024 – Cambridge United 1-0 Burton Albion – Sky Bet League One
- 02/11/2024 – Woking 0-1 Cambridge United – FA Cup First Round
Officials
- Referee: Sam Mulhall
- Assistant Referee: Joseph Stokes
- Assistant Referee: David Harrison
- Fourth Official: Andrew Hickman