Cambridge United’s third and final Bristol Street Motors Trophy Southern Group D clash sees them welcome Tottenham Hotspur U21s to the Abbey Stadium in midweek…
How to Watch
Just the Buzz Catering Main Stand will be open for Tuesday night’s encounter, which kicks off at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased online at cufctickets.com, with prices ranged at £13 for Adults, £7 for Concessions and just £4 for Under 18s.
Unable to attend? By picking up an iFollow Match Pass for £10, you can ensure that you don’t miss out on any of the action.
Alternatively, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire will be on hand to provide their live coverage from CB5.
Opposition Focus
Under the tutelage of Wayne Burnett, Tottenham’s youth department are enjoying a stellar start to their Premier League 2 campaign and at the same time are making a mark in this competition.
Retaining their 100% start, the Under 21s have won all eight of their opening games, scoring 29 goals in the process and leaking just eight. They kick-started Group D with a convincing 0-5 thrashing at Colchester, but did fall to defeat against the Posh a week ago. In spite of that, they make the journey to the Abbey knowing maximum points essentially secures their passage to the knockout stages for the first time since 2018/19.
England Youth international Luca Gunter is expected to don the sticks, whilst former Blackburn Rovers prodigy Ashley Phillips is a mainstay in defence alongside 22-year-old Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, who has risen through the ranks and played a plethora of games. At just 18, George Abbott and Jamie Donley play with maturity in the middle of the park and are always lively in the final third, whereas signing from Chelsea Jude Soonsup-Bell, Nile John - who has appeared twice for the first team - and Spaniard Yago Santiago supply for the prolific Will Lankshear and Alejo Veliz, who made a suspected £13 million summer move from Rosario Central. Oozing with confidence and threatening in attack, the crop have a bright future ahead of them.
Form Guide
Cambridge United: LDWDW
Tottenham Hotspur U21s: WWWLW
United’s Approach
The U’s stretched their unbeaten run to four matches last time out as they remained firm to see off Bracknell Town 2-1 to progress to the Second Round of the FA Cup.
A fairly authoritative first half was capped off by Fejiri Okenabirhie’s clinical strike, before an unfortunate own goal moments after the break handed the hosts a healthy lead. The step seven outfit pegged one back in the closing stages through Ben Harris, which ensured a nervy conclusion, but United held on to secure their name in the hat.
Summarising the match, Mark Bonner said: “It was a horrible end, but in the end, just get through, get the prize money and have the opportunity to play another game. My overriding emotion is just relived that we’re in the next round because that’s the main thing, but [there’s] lots of things to do better.”
Importantly, United have turned a corner in terms of results, but should they wish to fight another day in the EFL Trophy, they must dispatch Spurs by a minimum of four goals and ensure the fixture between Colchester United and Peterborough United goes the way of Posh.
Nonetheless, with a mouthwatering derby to look forward to at the weekend, Bonner has hinted at an extremely youthful squad being put out, stating that anyone who didn’t feature on Saturday will get minutes, the regulars will be rested and some of the youth squad could make the bench.
Down Memory Lane
There’s been just one previous occasion where United have met Spurs’ U21s side, that coming in this competition back in 2021/22 as the U’s edged out their counterparts 1-0.
In a testing encounter between two lively sides, a smart second-half header from Sam Smith – his third in the competition – proved the difference for the hosts, who went on to reach the quarter-finals.
Speaking on that evening, the Head Coach said: “It’s an important result for us in that sense, and I think at times, it looked like we needed the game… Some of those boys haven’t had much match time over the last three or four weeks. It’s important for them, and I think there are plenty of positives for us to take from it.”
In terms of clashes against the Spurs’ men’s team, the only meeting was way back in the 1986/87 edition of the League Cup, where the North London outfit travelled home with a 1-3 success in the Fourth Round. The U’s squad on that evening was: Branagan, Measham, A Kimble, Dowman, Smith, Beck, Tong, Spriggs, Cooper, Crown and G. Kimble, whilst the visitors went strong, deploying: Clemence, P. Allen, M. Thomas, Roberts, Gough, Mabbutt, C. Allen, Close, Waddle, Hoddle, Ardiles.
Officials
Referee: Jacob Miles
Assistant Referee: Andrew Aylott
Assistant Referee: Laurentiu Hantea
Fourth Official: Jacob Lehane