The U’s face off against old acquaintances Luton Town on Saturday in front of a sold-out Abbey crowd, with the hope of reaching the 5th Round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2000.
Coming off the back of a 2-0 defeat to the in-form Bolton Wanderers, Mark Bonner will be hoping his team can bounce back and pull off another cupset against a Luton side who are currently in a play-off battle in the Championship.
With Jack Iredale a strong injury doubt, the game is arguably going to be even tougher as he joins the list of first-teamers on the treatment table. Hero of the Third Round Big Joe Ironside will almost definitely be out of this one too although the addition of Lorent Tolaj adds firepower to the attack in what looks to be an exciting game.
Takeaways Drom Bonner’s Presser
- Exciting occasion for the club, looking forward to a sell-out crowd.
- “A proper cup tie”, says it’ll be a tough game against an excellent team
- Jensen Weir isn’t far away from returning to the squad
- Jack Iredale is likely to miss out, went for an X-ray so is a serious doubt
- Knows the squad is stretched but they’re working well in training.
Expected Line-Up
I think we can safely say there’ll be a few changes to the starting XI this weekend. We can almost certainly say Sam Sherring and Wesley Hoolahan will return to the fold, as well as Jack Lankester who has impressed in recent weeks. Expect to see Lorent Tolaj make an impact from the bench too.
Mitov; Williams, Okedina, Sherring, Dunk; Digby, May; Lankester, Hoolahan, Brophy; Smith.
Opposition Preview
Where do we start with this lot then? It was only 8 years ago that both teams were squaring off in the National League, and we can all agree that every time they came to the Abbey it was always an entertaining 90 minutes. Times have most certainly changed now with Luton firmly in the hunt for a playoff place in the Championship.
The Hatters have picked some interesting results recently including a sensational 3-2 win over AFC Bournemouth and have only lost once since December. The U’s will be hoping to make that a second loss Saturday evening.
Who’s Their Player to Watch?
Who else but Luke Berry? His 2017 departure sent shockwaves through the Cambridge support so he’ll definitely be out to silence the boo-boys. Other names to look out for are the midfield duo of Allan Campbell and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.
Who’s in the Dugout?
The over-excitable Nathan Jones is the man in charge of the Hatters having returned to Kenilworth Road in 2020 after a dismal year in charge of Stoke City. Interestingly Jones has never lost a competitive game against the U’s… until Saturday.
What’s Their Recent Form Like?
W, D, W, L, W
Any Ex-United Players?
Aside from Luke Berry, the only other ex-U in the Luton squad is new loanee Jed Steer who could potentially make his Town debut. Plenty of players over the years have also played for both teams, notable names include Paul Carden, Matthew Barnes-Homer and Rossi Jarvis. Oh how I miss those Conference days..!
Last Time Out: U’s 1-1 Luton, March 3 2018
A 1-1 draw against strong opposition. Credit to Sir Ian Darler for getting this game on.
A Matchday Album to Listen To:
The most exciting emerging act out of the UK at the moment, Yard Act’s debut The Overload is nothing but a triumph. Though they just missed out on a No.1 last week, this album is well worth a listen to on the way to the Abbey.
The UTAS Team’s Terrible Moosenet Predictions
Marc: 2-1 (Lankester, Williams)
Matt: 3-0 Luton
Jordan: 2-1 Luton (Tracey)
Owen: 1-0 (Digby)
Julian: 3-0 (Tolaj)
Jack: 1-1 (Tolaj, United go through on penalties)
From The Archive: U’s 2-1 Luton, 3 January 2015
One of the best games at the Abbey in recent years. The win here set up a home tie against some team from Manchester.
Under The Abbey Stand 
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