U's take on Blues tonight!
Cambridge United are set for their second pre-season test at the Abbey Stadium this evening against Championship side Ipswich Town (KO 7.45pm)
The U’s showed positive signs against the Tractor Boys’ fiercest rivals Norwich City on Friday night, in which they produced two impressive performances during a unique 120 minute encounter played across two one hour matches.
A 1-1 draw in game one could in reality have seen Richard Money’s men take the spoils had it not been for a late penalty being awarded to the visitors which Gary Hooper slotted away, ruling out Barry Corr’s earlier effort in front of the Newmarket Road End.
Whilst the second fixture saw the U’s field a side made up of a handful of the first team’s youngest players, as well as a number of individuals that had featured in game one, against a far fresher Norwich outfit interspersed with Premier League quality. A 0-2 score line did not reflect the hard working performance of the United outfit, who matched their opponents every step of the way.
Meanwhile tonight’s opponents Ipswich Town arrive at the Abbey Stadium having been narrowly beaten by Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany last week, as they prepare for another challenge on the Sky Bet Championship table.
Last season ended with the Tractor Boys losing out in the play-off semi-finals to the Canaries, but the Suffolk side have retained the services of striker Daryl Murphy who signed a contract extension last week, to ensure they remain strong ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
Cambridge United Manager Richard Money will be without Ryan Donaldson, Chris Dunn and Keith Keane who miss tonight’s fixture due to injury.
The U’s boss is anticipating a similar type of game from the Blues to the encounter with Norwich City on Friday, he said: “The two games against Ipswich and Coventry will test us again and will be very similar to Norwich.
“Both teams will want to play with the ball a lot and we shouldn’t forget that we are two divisions below Ipswich and one below Coventry.
“We are still going to have be organised and work hard.
“Two more 90 minutes of what we did against Norwich will prepare us well for what is coming in the season ahead. With a bit more belief and cohesion in the way we pass the ball we’ll be happy.”
Tickets for tonight’s match are available online at the following link, or from the ticket office before the match. The club advises all supporters to purchase tickets online to avoid long queues prior to kick off.