Colchester United travel to play Mansfield Town tonight

The U's are aiming to extend their unbeaten run to five matches, under interim boss Wayne Brown.

From team news to line-ups, key men and the referee, all you need to know can be found below ahead of the game at the One Call Stadium (kick-off 7.45pm).

U's team news

Colchester welcome back experienced defender Luke Chambers for tonight's game.

The former Ipswich Town player has served his two-match ban.

However, Colchester are still without goalkeeper Shamal George, who completes his three-match suspension.

The U's are likely to be without defender Tom Dallison, who suffered what appeared to be a groin injury in the warm-up at Leyton Orient.

Colchester will also check on the fitness of Cole Skuse (pictured below), who was forced off with a gash to his forehead against Orient.

Alan Judge could return after sitting out the Orient win after his wife went into labour.

But striker John Akinde is still out due to Covid and Ryan Clampin is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

Colchester will assess the fitness of Noah Chilvers, who has missed Colchester's last three games with a quad injury.

However, Emyr Huws could return after missing the Orient game through injury.

U's interim head coach Wayne Brown:

“We’ll have to make some tough choices but you’d rather be in that position than scraping around and trying to field an XI.

“It’s a good position to be in as a coach and as a manager, call it what you will.

“We’ve done it for a reason because we want to win games of football and we want competition for places throughout the squad and we’ve believe that we’ve got that now."

Predicted line-ups

Colchester United: Hornby, Tchamadeu, Eastman, Smith, Kenlock, Skuse, Wiredu, Judge, Hannant, Andrews, Sears

Mansfield Town: Bishop, O'Toole, McLaughlin, Hewitt, Hawkins, Maris, Clarke, Stirk, Quinn, Bowery, Oates

Last meeting

A 90th-minute equaliser from Freddie Sears )pictured above) rescued Colchester a draw in their 1-1 home draw with Mansfield, last August.

Sears struck from the penalty spot, after former U's loanee Elliott Hewitt had given the Stags the lead with 18 minutes remaining.

Opposition view

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough (pictured below left) told the club's website: “I think we’re playing a different animal to [the Colchester of] two or three weeks ago.

“They went down to Sutton and they were a few minutes away from getting a result down there.

“Since Wayne Brown has come back in in the last two away games they’ve had outstanding results. They won 3-0 at Salford and then 1-0 at Orient.

“So [they’ve] not conceded a goal [in that time].

"When we played them earlier in the season we said that any team that has Judge, Sears, Skuse and Chambers [then] the other six or seven that you put around them are going to benefit from those four players.

“They’re as good as any four players in League Two.”

Odds

Colchester are 4/1 to secure a third successive away win tonight. Mansfield are 7/10 for the victory, with the draw 5/2.

Referee

Darren Handley is the man in the middle tonight.

The Lancashire official has presided over five games so far this season, showing 17 yellow cards and one red.

Fixtures, League Two, tonight (7.45pm)

Carlisle United v Port Vale, Exeter City v Leyton Orient, Forest Green Rovers v Rochdale, Harrogate Town v Crawley Town, Hartlepool United v Barrow, Mansfield Town v Colchester United, Northampton Town v Newport County, Oldham Athletic v Bristol Rovers, Scunthorpe United v Walsall, Stevenage v Bradford City, Sutton United v Salford City, Tranmere Rovers v Swindon Town.