Cambridge United head coach Neil Harris expecting ‘toughest challenge’ of League Two season so far against Colchester United
Head coach Neil Harris expects Colchester United to provide his Cambridge United side with the ‘toughest challenge’ of their season so far.
Cambridge head to Essex tomorrow night having collected four points from their opening three fixtures of the new League Two campaign against Cheltenham Town, Swindon Town and Harrogate Town.
Colchester, meanwhile, were last term’s draw specialists and they opened up the 2025/26 season with back-to-back stalemates before winning at Shrewsbury last weekend.
Looking ahead to the clash at the JobServe Community Stadium, Harris said: “They’re a good side. You look at them on paper and their starting XI from the weekend, for me, is a top 10 or top seven side in this division.
“They’ve got some really, really good players in the front six and experience in the backline.
“I think it will be our toughest challenge so far. They’re a really experienced side in some elements and (have_ some real athleticism in other areas.
“It will be a real tough ask for us against a difficult team to play against because they’re very resilient in what they do. They drew more games than anybody last season and they’ve started this season with a couple of draws before a good win away at Shrewsbury.
“It’s a challenge for us and we have to show every bit of quality we did in that first half on Saturday and the resilience we’ve shown in the majority of games, but we have to do it over a 90-minute period.”
Captain Michael Morrison will miss the trip due to the bruised lung that he suffered in the 1-1 draw with Harrogate Town at the weekend, while Sullay Kaikai was not due to train today as the club’s medical staff monitor the toe injury that he suffered in the same contest.
Striker Ryan Loft, who missed the Harrogate game through illness, was due to take part in training.
The encounter could also mark a U’s debut for Kylian Kouassi following confirmation of his loan move from Blackpool earlier today.