Two teams struggling in League One meet at the Cledara Abbey Stadium on Saturday as Cambridge United host Bristol Rovers, with both teams desperate for three points.
Preserving third-tier status would have been the absolute minimum expectation for Rovers, who started the season with ambitions to mount a playoff push.
The Gas made a bright enough start, taking seven points from four games, but struggled thereafter and opted for a managerial change towards the end of 2024, with Inigo Calderon replacing Matt Taylor in the dugout.
Cambridge have kept faith with their manager, Garry Monk, despite starting the season slowly and getting themselves entrenched in the drop zone.
However, the pressure on Monk intensified with a run of four straight defeats which has left the U’s positioned five points inside the bottom four.
Bristol Rovers draw no bet - 11/8
Bristol Rovers have slipped to a precarious position, only two points outside of the relegation zone, but they can ease the danger with a crucial away win at second-bottom Cambridge.
The first half of the season has been pretty miserable for Rovers, who had high hopes of competing in the top half of the division.
They have lost 13 of 23 games, but there were positives to take after Wednesday’s 3-2 reverse against Leyton Orient, which was Rovers’ first home match under their recently installed manager Calderon.
A tough match was expected against in-form Orient, who arrived at the Memorial Ground on a three-game winning run.
But Rovers went toe-to-toe with the Londoners and won the admiration of Orient manager Richie Wellens, who suggested that his team had come through one of their toughest tests of the campaign.
Orient dug deep and secured the victory, but Rovers had played to a high level and given their fans some hope of better things to come.
Calderon’s satisfaction with the performance was tempered by the loss of another three points and an injury to striker Promise Omochere, who had to come off after just 22 minutes.
But Omochere’s replacement, Chris Martin, bagged a couple of goals as Rovers fought tooth and nail until the final whistle.
Calderon will be looking for another strong performance and a tangible reward against Cambridge, who are another team with a losing habit.
Cambridge suffered a 3-1 loss at home to Reading on New Year’s Day despite bossing large periods of the game and winning the shot count 16 to 13.
However, they have struggled in the penalty boxes for much of the season and those negative traits could contribute to a second home loss in four days.
Chris Martin to score any time - 5/2
Experienced players can be a massive help in tense matches and there is every chance that veteran Rovers forward Martin will play a match-winning role this weekend.
The former Scotland international should be feeling confident after his two-goal midweek contribution and looks like a tempting 5/2 shot to add to his tally.
Bristol Rovers to score over 1.5 goals - 7/4
Rovers created a lot of decent chances against a defensively strong Leyton Orient side, so it seems reasonable to expect them to be at least as effective at Cambridge.
They are playing with more purpose and energy under Calderon and look overpriced 7/4 shots to add at least another two goals.
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Cambridge United - 21/20
Draw - 5/2
Bristol Rovers - 9/4
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.