Cambridge United travel to Altrincham looking to build on Tuesday's dominant performance against York with another three points.
The Robins enjoyed a 3-1 win at Forest Green last weekend and they are currently 13th in the table on 25 points, nine points behind fourth-placed United. On Tuesday Altrincham were knocked out of the FA Cup by Luton Town after extra time and penalties, and in their previous home game they lost to Histon, but with wins against Oxford, Ebbslfeet, Mansfield and Lewes and Moss Lane in the previous four home games, Moss Lane has been something of a fortress this season.
Nonetheless, United are rated as favourites at 5/4 to win the game with our online betting partners bet365, with with the home side at 19/10 and the draw at 9/4. Click here for all the match odds.
Team News
Ben Farrell will miss this game as he completes a two-match suspension and Jordan Collins has joined Weymouth on a month's loan, but otherwise Gary Brabin has the same squad to choose from and he also welcomes back Jon Challinor. The midfielder missed Tuesday's win with the leg injury he suffered at Crawley last weekend but returned to training on Thursday and will be assessed again on Friday.
Dan Gleeson came off late in Tuesday's game with a slight hamstring problem but he too trained on Thursday and is expected to be fit to take his place.
Brabin's biggest decision is up front, where he has added Scott Rendell to the strikers already at the club. Rendell arrived on loan on Tuesday and played the last 20 minutes of the match against York, and he may be handed a start as the manager addresses the lack of goals that has impeded the team's results in recent weeks.
"We've got an embarrassment of riches in terms of quality forwards," he admitted, "but I don't look at it as a selection 'problem'. We've got good competition for places all over the park and I want the lads to react in a positive manner."
Quizzed about his plans for the team, having reverted to 4-4-2 with some success on Tuesday, Brabin said he would consider a return to 4-3-3 but has not decided yet.
"We've got a lot of good options in the front positions and there's a chance Scott could start, but I won't be making any decision until after today's training session. I want to have as many different attacking options as possible, and I think some of the lads are finding a bit of form.
"Lee McEvilly has scored a few goals and Scott coming in has given everyone a bit of a lift, but the work that Bees does doesn't go unnoticed and we've also got Danny Crow getting fitter and stronger every day, and Chris Holroyd is chomping at the bit as well so it's a good position to be in."
Another player pushing hard for a regular place is midfielder Mark Convery who scored the stoppage time equaliser at Crawley last weekend and had possibly his best game of the season on Tuesday against his former club, York.
Brabin revealed that Convery has had to adapt his game to fit into his plans this season, and he is pleased with his recent performances: "In the past I think Mark has seen himself as a ball player, but with the way we play I want more from the players.
"We play a very attacking system with a strong defence as well so I expect my midfield players to do a little bit more work both ways, and Mark has really got his head down and worked hard and I've been pleased with him in the last couple of games.
"I'm encouraging all the midfield lads to try to help out with the goals and I want them getting forward when they can. I've said to all of them I want a few more goals from them and Mark's done that already."
The Opposition
After escaping relegation on technicalities in each of the last three seasons, Altrincham have made a good start this time and just two home defeats and some good results on the road have lifted them to a mid-table position.
"They've been in great form," commented Brabin. "I speak to their manager quite a lot and they're really confident at the moment and delighted with the way things are going for them this season.
"They've got a really clever forward in Colin Little. He's been in a struggling side in the past but always seemed to be up there in the scorers chart so he's obviously going to be a threat, and they can't be taken lightly.
"They went on a four or five game winning running earlier in the season and they're definitely going to be tough opposition. They're a hard-working side with a little bit of quality and it's a tough place to go, but we're playing with a lot of confidence and believing in what we're doing, so I think we could get a good result tomorrow."
With the U's just three points behind the league leaders, Brabin is keen for his men to keep the pressure on the top three teams and keep the promotion hopes on track by following up Tuesday's narrow win with another three points.
"The lads are full of confidence, we're a hard team to break down, we play good football and we've got some good players, we create loads of chances and I'm sure we're not far away from scoring more goals, so there's plenty to look forward to," he stated.
"We're unbeaten in the last eight league games and if we can stay in touch with the leading teams we can hopefully time it right for a surge up the table."
Further Information
You can learn much more about the Robins in Doug Shulman's 'The Other Side' article here, you can find admission and away travel details here, and if you fancy a bet on our match or any other event this week please follow this link to visit our official betting partners bet365 - the place where your online betting makes money for the U's.
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