Cambridge United vs Oldham Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to continue their excellent run of form on home soil, Cambridge United host strugglers Oldham Athletic at Cledara Abbey Stadium on Saturday afternoon in League Two.

The U's recorded a comfortable success over Newport County last time out, whereas the Latics suffered defeat at the hands of Gillingham.

Match preview

Following a four-year spell in League One and relegation from that particular level in the spring, Cambridge United are back in the fourth tier of English football, where they have made a largely-positive start to a campaign which they hope will conclude in promotion.

The U's recently recorded back-to-back competitive wins for the first time since March, with Saturday afternoon's hosts beating Championship outfit Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup before seeing off lowly Newport County in League Two last weekend.

After earning a respectable tally of 10 points across their opening six matches of the fourth-tier campaign, Cambridge are currently occupying 10th spot in the League Two table, two points behind third-placed Bromley and just one point back from MK Dons in seventh.

The backbone of the U's promising start to the 2025-26 season, the Cledara Abbey Stadium has turned into somewhat of a fortress following the struggles of last term, with the hosts unbeaten in four competitive matches at the venue, including that cup upset at the expense of second-tier Charlton last month.

Neil Harris's squad have a number of players who are now the big fish in a smaller pond following relegation, none more so than attacker James Brophy, with the 31-year-old netting four goals already after scoring the same amount across the entirety of 2024-25.

Gaining promotion to the Football League via the National League playoffs earlier in the year, Premier League alumni Oldham Athletic ended their three-year stint out of League Two, a division which has proven tricky to conquer during the opening weeks of 2025-26.

The Latics are one of five teams in the 24-club standings who are yet to enjoy the feeling of victory so far this season, and an eight-game winless spell across all competitions has left those of an Oldham persuasion scrambling for solutions.

Micky Mellon's side endured consecutive defeats for the first time this season to conclude a sobering August schedule, with the former top-flight outfit losing 5-1 to Manchester City Under-21s in the EFL Trophy before suffering defeat at the hands of Gillingham.

Following a pair of difficult games at Boundary Park, the Latics are back on their fourth-tier travels looking to make it three matches unbeaten in away matches, with the strugglers picking up points from trips to Bristol Rovers and Fleetwood Town near the end of last month.

Perhaps a positive omen for Oldham ahead of their clash at Abbey Stadium, the away team has ended up victorious in each of the last three meetings between the two sides, with the Latics winning 2-1 at Cambridge's home in both 2019 and 2020.

Cambridge United League Two form:

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Cambridge United form (all competitions):

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Oldham Athletic League Two form:

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Team News

After netting the opener during the triumph over Newport last time out, Cambridge centre-back Kelland Watts should continue in the heart of the backline alongside Mamadou Jobe.

The U's were solid against the visiting Exiles last weekend but required an inspired performance from goalkeeper Jake Eastwood to keep a clean sheet.

A former Sierra Leone star, Sullay Kaikai is spending September's international window providing a threat on the flanks for Cambridge.

Yet to feature for Oldham this season, Burnley loanee Michael Mellon is currently on Scotland Under-21s duty, ruling him unavailable as a result.

Failing to find the net at home versus Gillingham last time out, the Latics could bring fresh attacking impetus into the XI, replacing the likes of Kian Warratt.

Cambridge United possible starting lineup:

Eastwood; Bennett, Jobe, Watts, Purrington; Mpanzu, Ball, Kaikai, Knight, Brophy; Appere

Oldham Athletic possible starting lineup:

Hudson; Sutton, Daniels, Monthe, Robson; Hawkes, Woods, Conlon, Drummond; Waters, Quigley

We say: Cambridge United 2-0 Oldham Athletic

Aiming to make it five wins without defeat at Abbey Stadium, Cambridge should have no problems easing past newly-promoted Oldham this weekend.

The Latics have fared better away from Boundary Park in recent weeks, but we still believe that a third League Two loss of the term is on the cards for the visitors.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.