Cambridge United welcome Plymouth Argyle to Abbey Stadium on Saturday afternoon for their latest instalment of action in the 2026-27 League One campaign.

In their previous outing, the U’s came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Wycombe Wanderers on home soil, while the Pilgrims were well beaten by Stevenage at the SPORTA Arena.

Match preview

After bouncing back to League One at the first time of asking last season, finishing third in the fourth tier and only five points behind league champions Bromley, Cambridge will be ecstatic with how they have started their latest campaign.

Losing just one of their 11 matches so far, the U’s currently sit fourth in the League One table with 20 points and have not lost any of their previous 10 in all competitions, a run stretching back to a 2-1 home defeat against Huddersfield Town at the end of August.

Although they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Millwall at the second round stage, Neil Harris will also be delighted with how his side have started their EFL Trophy campaign as they currently sit atop Group 15 after beating Gillingham and Northampton in their first two fixtures.

Falling to defeat in just two of their prior 11 home meetings with Plymouth, including a 2-0 triumph at the Abbey Stadium in February 2022, Cambridge will be hoping to continue their solid streak against the Pilgrims by claiming victory on Saturday afternoon and climb into the league’s automatic promotion places.

Having enjoyed an outstanding start to the campaign, taking 19 points from their opening 10 League One matches to sit top of the table just a fortnight ago, Plymouth will be desperate to bounce back into form this weekend after a couple of disappointing results.

Following a run of seven wins in their previous eight games, Tom Cleverly’s men were brought down to earth as they were beaten 2-0 by a strong Huddersfield Town side last weekend and failed to immediately respond as they were convincingly dispatched by Stevenage at the SPORTA Arena on Tuesday evening, dropping them to fifth in the table.

On a more positive note, Plymouth have managed to maintain their steady form in the cup competitions though, as despite being eliminated by Premier League outfit Coventry City in the second round of the EFL Cup, the Pilgrims only need a draw from their final EFL Trophy group match to confirm a place in the knockouts, having earned five points from their previous two fixtures.

While their away record against Cambridge leaves a lot to be desired, Argyle did claim victory in the latest encounter between the sides, running out 3-1 winners at Home Park in April 2023.

Cambridge United League One form:

Cambridge United form (all competitions):

Plymouth Argyle League One form:

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

Team News

Irish midfielder Shane McLoughlin is out for Cambridge with a calf injury picked up earlier in the season, while 21-year-old forward Callum Perry remains sidelined after picking up an undisclosed problem against Oxford United last month.

Having contributed to 12 goals in his final five Barnet appearances, Harris will also be disappointed that he is yet to utilise Callum Stead’s services since his summer move as the 26-year-old continues his recovery from a severe ankle issue.

In Stead’s absence, Benjamin Knight has been leading the line for the U’s and will be hoping to extend his three match streak of goal contributions this weekend.

Ghanaian international Michael Baidoo has missed the entirety of the 2026-27 season so far for Plymouth and is not likely to return until next month from a severe hamstring injury, though the Pilgrims could welcome midfielder Malachi Boateng back from a knee problem as soon as this weekend.

After sustaining an ankle issue in last month’s EFL Trophy fixture against Crystal Palace U21s, Cleverly is also unable to currently deploy Nigerian forward Owen Oseni, while it remains to be seen whether Danish defender Mathias Ross can return from an infected foot on Saturday.

Following a pulsating run of six goals over a seven game period, Canadian striker Aribim Pepple has faltered in recent outings and will be hoping to return to the scoresheet when he likely partners Will Evans in attack against Cambridge.

Cambridge United possible starting lineup:

Eastwood; Heffernan, Watts, Bradshaw; Mpanzu, Ball, Moxon, Heath; Knight, Ahadme, Kaikai

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Edwards, Mitchell, Hartridge, Harding; Curtis, Ibrahim, White, Irow; Evans, Pepple

We say: Cambridge United 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

Although Plymouth’s hot streak has cooled in recent weeks, Cambridge will be aware that they still have to deliver a near-perfect performance to overcome a strong Pilgrims side at the Abbey Stadium this weekend.

However, while it will undoubtedly be a tightly contested match, we are still backing the hosts to take all of the points on Saturday afternoon and potentially climb even further up the League One table.

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