Cambridge’s three-match winning streak on the line against off-form Lincoln

Many fans thought that Cambridge United and Lincoln City could be two divisions apart this season, but both sides find themselves in an incredibly competitive League One lineup.

The U’s looked set to win the League Two title until consecutive losses to Stevenage and Harrogate Town threatened to derail their promotion bid. However, a convincing 3-0 win against Grimsby Town on the final day of the 2020/21 campaign saw them secure a top three finish and a place in the third tier for the first time since 2002.

The Imps, on the other hand, were competing to win automatic promotion to the Championship – a division that they haven’t played in since 1961. They ultimately fell short of a top two finish and had to settle for a place in the playoffs instead. Michael Appleton’s men came out on the winning side of a nervy semi-final tie against Sunderland, before falling to a 2-1 defeat against Blackpool in the final at Wembley.

A lot of pundits have tipped Lincoln to go one step further this season, but the high turnover of players this summer has hit them incredibly hard. Brennan Johnson and Morgan Rogers both returned to their parent clubs after having incredible loan spells at the LNER Stadium, while the likes of Jorge Grant and Tayo Edun opted to leave the Imps for pastures new.

As has become expected of them, the Imps’ incoming transfer business has been impressive. However, their relatively new squad is yet to gel properly, and a nightmarish injury crisis coupled with a deadline day disaster involving Swansea’s Morgan Whittaker, has complicated matters even further.

This has been reflected in their recent results, with Lincoln heading into Saturday’s game against Cambridge on the back of three consecutive defeats. They now find themselves just one place above the relegation zone after five games.

Much like Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic (who find themselves in 21st and 19th respectively), the Imps are simply too good to struggle for much longer. The international break will have provided a huge boost on the injury and fitness front, and they’re likely to bring a much healthier looking squad to The Abbey on Saturday afternoon.

Cambridge, however, are on the other end of the spectrum. Many tipped them to be on the periphery of the relegation zone at this point of the season, with the U’s installed as pre-season relegation favourites by most bookmakers.

Two wins and two draws saw Bonner’s side climb into the top half of the table before the international break. They now find themselves in 13th, and head into their clash against Lincoln on the back of three wins in all competitions.

This impressive start to the campaign has largely been down to their gritty and determined defending. Despite losing both Jubril Okedina and captain Greg Taylor to injury, the U’s have only conceded four goals so far this season. While the former is fit to return to action this weekend, the latter has had to undergo surgery after suffering an ankle fracture against Plymouth Argyle.

That being said, neither Okedina nor Taylor would get into Cambridge’s lineup on current form. Lloyd Jones and Queens Park Rangers loanee Conor Masterson have struck up an exceptional partnership in the heart of defence, leading to them keeping consecutive clean sheets against Burton Albion and Bolton Wanderers.

Their attacking output is less inspiring, despite Joe Ironside’s admirable start to the campaign. The striker has scored three goals so far this season, although they have all come in a fairly fortuitous nature. His first was a penalty against Oxford, his second was a rebound from a saved penalty against Plymouth, and his third came from a goalkeeping blunder against Accrington Stanley.

This doesn’t take anything away from his performances so far, and Bonner has been keen to take the goalscoring burden off his strikers following the departure of Paul Mullin. The likes of James Brophy, Wes Hoolahan and Shilow Tracey will be asked to increase their attacking contribution over the coming months.

Cambridge and Lincoln’s contrasting form should provide an excellent platform for the hosts to build off their formidable start to the season. That being said, the U’s haven’t beaten the Imps since 1995, having failed to win any of the subsequent 14 meetings since then.

Despite their recent results, Cambridge are listed as the underdogs by the vast majority of bookmakers. However, they thrive in that position, and Bonner’s “confident underdog” tagline will see them riding a wave of confidence into Saturday’s game.

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