Preview: Fleetwood Town vs. Cambridge United - prediction, team news, lineups

Cambridge, meanwhile, secured an impressive 2-0 victory against Oxford United on the opening day.

Match preview

After surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the 2021-22 season, Fleetwood hugely improved under the management of Scott Brown last time out, with the former Scotland midfielder guiding them to an impressive 13th-placed finish.

With the club facing some financial difficulties, leading to the sales of several key players, the work that Brown carried out during his first campaign as a manager was nothing short of exceptional, and his chairman Steve Curwood will be hoping for more of the same this season.

The Fishermen would have been content to avoid defeat when playing away to a newly-promoted side in the form of Carlisle last weekend, with Brown's side enjoying the lion's share of possession. However, the shot counts probably suggested that a share of the spoils was a fair enough outcome.

Brown will expect his players to utilise the home support at Highbury Stadium to their full advantage when they come up against Cambridge on Saturday, though, with some mental fortitude required for them to bounce back from a disappointing 3-2 defeat away to Port Vale in the EFL Cup in midweek.

Cambridge, meanwhile, know all about close shaves when it comes to almost being relegated from League One, having secured their survival by one point and one position with a 2-0 win against Forest Green Rovers on the final day of last season.

Mark Bonner's side found the going much tougher throughout their second season in England's third tier, languishing inside the relegation zone for the majority of the season, but five wins from their last nine games ultimately saw them pull off a great escape.

Unsurprisingly, they were one of the pre-season favourites to drop down to League Two once again, but their 2-0 win against Oxford last weekend suggests that they are not going to go down without a fight, if at all.

Forwards Jack Lankester and Gassan Ahadme both scored inside the opening half an hour to provide the hosts with a commanding lead, which they never looked likely to throw away despite their opponents predictably dominating the ball. Bonner would gladly take more of the same in the North West on Saturday.

Fleetwood Town League One form:

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Fleetwood Town form (all competitions):

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Cambridge United League One form:

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Cambridge United form (all competitions):

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Team News

Brown made six changes for the cup defeat to Port Vale on Tuesday, with his selection against Cambridge likely to be much closer to the side that drew 1-1 away to Carlisle in the league.

However, Jack Marriott may hold onto his place in attack after only appearing from the bench in Cumbria, with the 28-year-old hoping to make a major impact after scoring eight goals in 19 appearances last season.

Bonner rotated even more heavily than his forthcoming opponent for their trip to Sutton United in the EFL Cup in midweek, with his side ultimately losing on penalties after drawing 2-2 in regulation time.

Fejiri Okenabirhie made a strong impact by scoring a brace on his introduction to the side, but even that may not be enough to hold onto his place given that Lankester and Ahadme both scored on the opening day.

Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:

Lynch; Sarpong-Wiredu, Nsiala, Earl; Johnston, Mayor, Robertson, Vela, Patterson; Graydon, Marriott

Cambridge United possible starting lineup:

Stevens; L Bennett, R Bennett, Morrison, Andrew; Digby, Thomas; Brophy, Lankester, Janneh; Ahadme

We say: Fleetwood Town 1-1 Cambridge United

Only Lincoln City and Portsmouth drew more games than Fleetwood's tally of 16 last season, and Brown's side recorded another against Carlisle in their opening game of the new campaign.

With Cambridge performing much better than expected against a much-fancied Oxford outfit, we would not be surprised to see Fleetwood be involved in another share of the spoils this weekend.

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