U's face managerless Walsall in must win game

Following Saturday's emphatic 5-0 win against Gillingham, the U's are back on the road to take on a managerless but confident Walsall side who sit only 3 points off the playoffs. With both sides fighting to get out of the league, expect a good game but little chances.

The U's will need to be dominant in their duels to prevent Walsall from creating chances. The game is for the taking with Walsall losing more games than they've won this season at home and being managerless. Former U's attacker Darren Byfield is currently the interim at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium.

Players to watch

Daniel Kanu

The U's will need to keep Daniel Kanu quiet throughout the 90 as the striker has bagged 13 goals from only 10xg. This shows Kanu converts hard chances with both feet and his head. 55% of Kanu's shots end up in the back of the net so the clear objective is to not allow any shots. Kell Watts has done well this season against the best strikers, holding Kanu to just 2 shots and forcing him to be subbed off in the 82nd minute the last time these 2 faced off.

Charlie Lakin

Charlie Lakin will be a handful down the United left. Fresh off a superb 90 minutes and an assist, the 26 year old could cause all sorts of problems from a handful of positions. As you can see below, his heatmap is all over the pitch. He predominantly operates in the build up on the left but can go box to box. In just his most recent game, he created 2 chances, wasn't dispossessed and won 80% of his ground duels. Lakin will look to expose the space in between the wing back and centre back.

How will Walsall set up?

Walsall will likely play a 4-3-3 as they did against Crewe on Saturday, however Byfield could revert the side to a back 3. The U's should set up to stop the overload in midfield by changing shape themselves. One way this can be done is by playing 2 strikers and having the extra man in midfield. If the U's allow an overload in midfield the game very easily could go in Walsall's favour.

Head to Head

In the last 4 League 2 clashes between the two sides, United have won 3 and Walsall winning just the 1. Knight's brace either side of half time gave the U's all 3 points to start 2026. Knibbs, Ironside, Mullin and Knight have all had success over the years against Walsall and those in amber will be hoping to extend the winning streak beyond the current 2312 days.