After extending their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to a highly credible six matches without defeat, Leeds United travel to Cambridge United in the FA Cup third round.

Both sides head into this cup clash having recorded comprehensive victories in their previous outings. Leeds consummately disposed of lowly Rotherham, winning 3-0 at Elland Road thanks to a Kyle Bartley header coupled with an impressive brace from talismanic forward Chris Wood. Cambridge meanwhile, who are incidentally managed by former Leeds stalwart Shaun Derry, cruised to a 4-0 home defeat of Notts County with Luke Berry (2), Uche Ikpeazu, and Piero Mingoia all netting at the Abbey Stadium.

There has been ceaseless talk of an upset eventuating in this match, with Derry’s Cambridge in dignified form of late, having won four of their last five matches in League Two. The U’s, who pummelled Coventry 4-0 back in December to qualify for the third round, lie in 9th place in the table having accrued 38 points from 24 matches, and with extensive changes to the Leeds United lineup anticipated, the notion that an upset could be on the cards is somewhat qualified.

Team News

Cambridge United

Shaun Derry is hopeful of having defender Brad Halliday and forward George Maris available for selection, but winger Medy Elito and striker Barry Corr are sidelined with knee injuries.

Leeds United

Cultured midfielder Eunan O’Kane could be in line for a return to action after being absent from the Whites’ last seven matches by way of a groin strain. Defender Charlie Taylor, who has been incessantly linked with a move away from Elland Road this January, will miss out with an achilles issue.

Gaetano Berardi could therefore be asked to deputise at left-back, though fledgling full-back Tyler Denton may also be awarded only a second professional appearance with Garry Monk expected to preside over wholesale changes for this match.

Fresh from signing a professional contract with the club, youthful forward Malik Wilks has travelled with the Leeds United squad, and could thus be in line for a first senior appearance.

Probable Lineups

Cambridge United (4-4-2) - Norris; Taylor, Legge, Roberts, Adams; Dunne, Clark, Mingoia, Berry; Williamson, Ikpeazu.

Leeds United (4-2-3-1) - Silvestri; Coyle, Bartley, Cooper, Denton; Vieira, O’Kane; Sacko, Hernandez, Doukara; Antonsson.

Team Facts

Cambridge United

Top Goalscorers: Luke Berry (10), Uche Ikpeazu (6), Piero Mingoia (5).

Most Assists: Uche Ikpeazu (4), Harrison Dunk (4), Luke Berry (2).

Highest Statistical Average Rating: Luke Berry (N/A)

Record in 2016-17 (League) - W: 11 - D: 5 - L: 8

Leeds United

Top Goalscorers: Chris Wood (16), Souleymane Doukara (4), Kyle Bartley (4).

Most Assists: Kemar Roofe (5), Hadi Sacko (3), Pablo Hernandez (3).

Highest Statistical Average Rating: Pontus Jansson (7.67).

Record in 2016-17 (League) - W: 14 - D: 3 - L: 8

Media: Cambridge United manager Shaun Derry and Leeds United head coach Garry Monk:

Tonight, Cambridge boss Shaun Derry will be tasked with masterminding the elimination of former employers Leeds from the competition.

Unfazed by the suggested glamour of the tie, Derry had banned talk of Leeds’ visit to the Cambs Glass Stadium until after the U’s recorded a comprehensive victory over Notts County a week ago.

And his proclivity to focus on League Two has proven fruitful for his side as Cambridge have amassed six wins and a draw in their last seven games, while also seeing off the challenge of Coventry in the FA Cup second round back in December.

"As players, as management, we've not been able to talk about it, because we've been very much concentrating on the league results," Derry told Sky Sports.

"We've been driving up that league and it enables us to go into Monday night's game full of confidence, which is something that really excites us all.

"We want to continue to do well in the league, but we want to cause a cup upset.

"We want to win, we want to beat Leeds United. It's a mighty task for us, but we want to come through in that fourth round."

Meanwhile, Derry’s counterpart, Garry Monk, has professed that he anticipates a challenging and competitive tie in tonight’s match.

“There is always a chance of an upset, but we are focused on putting as much determination, passion and desire, along with our best football on to the field like we do in every other game,” Monk said during an interview with leedsunited.com.

“We have used the whole squad throughout the season in the league and the cup and I think it is good for the group to have freshness.

“It is about getting the balance right, we want to win the game, but it is also about using the squad correctly.

“Eunan O’Kane and Lewie Coyle are back on the field, we are managing Charlie Taylor on a day to day basis, but we are hopeful he will be back on the pitch in the next few days.

“You always have to look at the bigger fixture and I think it is ridiculous that we have to play on Monday and Friday, it seems to be us more than others affected.

“Cambridge are in really good form, they are doing really well in League Two, so we know it is going to be difficult.

“It is a tight ground, there will be an atmosphere, but we have to concentrate on ourselves, but no games are easy.”

Match Facts

The last time Leeds faced lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, the Whites were under the tutelage of Brian McDermott. On that occasion they suffered the ignominy of defeat, succumbing to a sombre 2-0 loss away to Rochdale in the third round in the 2013-14 season.

Key Men

Cambridge United

Luke Berry

The 24 year-old is a midfielder by trade, but in the current season the former Barnsley man has rattled in no less 15 goals, topping his club’s scoring charts as a result. Four of those came in the last round against Coventry, a match in which a pitifully hapless Sky Blues witnessed his formidable goalscoring aptitude first-hand as they slumped to a 4-0 defeat. Berry’s exploits in a U’s shirt are likely to have attracted unwanted attention from prying scouts in the employ of more prosperous clubs, and so the notion that he may earn a notable transfer to a Championship side in the near future, as Kemar Roofe did last summer, is certainly plausible.

Uche Ikpeazu

A bustling, proactive, and hefty target-man, the robust 21 year-old has been a journeyman for much of his young career to date, having been farmed out on loan on seven occasions while contracted to Watford, but he appears to have been enriched by the experience of sporting Cambridge’s yellow and black. The Bedford-born striker, who is of NIgerian descent, has enjoyed his most prosperous period in front of goal since a productive loan stint with Port Vale in 2015. His pace and punch convinced Championship side Norwich City to grant him a trial last summer, and on his day, the 6 ft 3 battering ram could pose a potent attacking threat to Leeds tonight.

Leeds United

Marcus Antonsson

At the time of his summer move to Leeds United last year, the Swede was the top scorer in the Swedish Allsvenskan with 12 goals to his credit. Possessing guile, and a commendable work ethic, Antonsson has found regular football hard to come by at Elland Road thus far, in large part due to the prolific form of the free-scoring Chris Wood. It is highly probable that Wood will be excused from tonight’s match as Garry Monk will likely look to safeguard his most prized asset from a needless injury, and don’t be surprised if the energetic Swede makes a marked impression.

Eunan O’Kane

The 26 year-old is a cultured midfielder in possession of an eclectic range of passing, oozing tranquility and composure whenever in possession of the ball. A Republic of Ireland international, O’Kane has missed Leeds’ last seven matches with a groin strain, but should he be permitted a return to action tonight, expect him to be dictating the tempo of the game with consummate ease.

Writer's View

I take the view that this match is nothing other than an futile distraction. Simply because of the fact that a climacteric fixture awaits us on Friday night when we take on Derby County at Elland Road, under the floodlights and in the view of cameras placed down by servile non-entities in the employ of contemptible television conglomerates.

Indeed, there have been innumerable iterations from supporters, including myself, for Garry Monk to exempt our most salient stars and confer younger players an opportunity to showcase their abilities. As I have profusely said, on many occasions during our mettlesome EFL Cup challenge - games such as these may not be particularly desirable, but they present opportunities aplenty.

Tonight is an opportunity for fledgling youth players and first team misfits, to hone and exhibit their skills to the nation. Tonight is an opportunity for Leeds to put unwanted, shunned sporadic first teamers into the spotlight and into the shop window in an attempt to relieve themselves of the burden of their wages. But most importantly, tonight is an opportunity, for every single pundit, internally scornful of our club, to lie in wait in a fashion akin to that of predatory vultures for our fall.

I say, whoever dons our famous white tonight, do yourself, your club, and your supporters proud, because there is nothing more insufferable for those very pundits to bear, than a comfortable Leeds victory and the prevention of the ‘cupset’ they so desire to witness.

Prediction: Cambridge United 1-3 Leeds United

Cambridge are a coherent, adept League Two outfit who have done remarkably to recapture their place in the Football League and consolidate that very position over the course of the past two seasons. A direct, industrious side, but one that I think, not in any way conceitedly, will emerge victorious against our auxiliary players tonight.

Statistics derived from WhoScored.com

Photo: Action Images

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