Jimmy Quinn is unlikely to make changes to the team that lost at Stevenage, although young full back Jordan Collins is drafted back into the squad.
Looking Back
United led at Stevenage and looked the better team for the first hour, but an alarming second half collapse after the home side equalised allowed them to eventually run out comfortable winners in a 4-1 scoreline that did not accurately reflect the balance of play.
"Stevenage are a good team but we took the game to them and that was the pleasing thing," reflected Quinn.
"A lot of teams would probably go there and sit back and try to protect the goal a bit more, but we took the game to them and we looked the better side.
"For an hour we were definitely the better team and we didn't give them room when they got the ball, and if our shooting had been a bit better we should have been at least two up at half-time.
"But when we conceded our heads dropped, and that's even the experienced players. Before then the lads were having a real go, they've been great in training, but it's a mental thing and we need a result.
"Once we get a result we'll turn the corner and we'll stay up, no question, but it's just getting that first result because we haven't had a win for a while."
Team News
With Tommy Jaszczun, David Bridges and Danny Brown still injured, Quinn looks set to name the same eleven that played so well for the first two-thirds of the game at Stevenage.
However Courtney Pitt has been troubled by a slight groin strain and young left back Jordan Collins, who was not included at Stevenage after being on FA Youth Cup duty in Cardiff on Thursday night, will be among the substitutes as cover.
"I'm putting Jordan on the bench because Courtney has an ongoing problem with his groin and he felt it in the second half of the match on Saturday. He trained on Monday and he was OK again but it comes and goes and he will probably need an operation at some point, so young Jordan is on the bench as natural cover for him.
"I was hoping we'd have Tommy back by now but he has an operation on his toe tomorrow so he will be a few more weeks, and, as everyone knows, the injuries we've had this season, especially to defenders, have been just horrendous and we haven't been able to have a settled side."
Right back Dean Hooper made a good debut despite the defeat on Saturday and Quinn would like to add more players of his type to the squad: "I'm known him for years and I wouldn't have brought him in if he wasn't fit enough.
"At full back you need energy and he's a fit, strong lad and he gets stuck in and he has good quality going forward. He's an experienced player and we need experience.
"There are two players that I'm waiting to hear from and I'm hoping to get at least one in by the weekend," added the manager.
"We need more experience in the side because I'm asking young boys to do a job and with the pressure we're under at the moment it's not fair on them."
The Opposition
Tonight's match against Rushden & Diamonds has been billed as the biggest game of the season so far. The Diamonds are one place and one point ahead of United, having leapfrogged us at the weekend, and they have two games in hand, so a United win tonight would stop them opening a gap and would lift the U's out of the relegation places.
"It's a huge game, it's a derby," stressed Quinn. "I want us to ensure at least a point by keeping a clean sheet, then see if we can add to it. Confidence is everything in football and when Stevenage scored we stopped doing the things we'd been doing so well in the hour before, we started standing off people and a bit of fear crept in because we were frightened of losing again.
"We have to make every game a cup tie now, and tonight we have to turn that 65 minutes into 90. Our support on Saturday was fantastic and I'm hoping for the same again, and we just need to find the mental toughness on the pitch to get this result and turn the corner.
"We have to go there tonight and work hard to stop them playing. We watched the Stevenage video yesterday and we spoke about what went wrong and we know what's needed. We managed to do the team work for an hour so we just need to carry that into the full 90 minutes."
More Information
Read the news from the Diamonds camp and details about their squad and season to date in Chris Vessey's "The Other Side" preview, you can find directions and ticket information here, and if you fancy a bet on our match or any other event this week we have all the odds at AbbeyBet, where your betting makes money for the U's.
If you can't be at the match, listen to every kick of the game courtesy of Radio Cambridgeshire and see the live stats from our game and goal flashes from around the country via the our fantastic MatchLive Console on U's World.
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