The Bees are back on home soil this Saturday, hosting Cambridge United in Sky Bet League Two action.
In the second of our string of fixtures against the league’s top three teams, the Bees will be looking to build on last weekend’s statement victory over MK Dons when the U’s visit the capital.
Dean Brennan named an unchanged starting XI following Tuesday night’s draw at Crawley Town, with Joe Kizzi and Diallang Jaiyesimi coming onto the bench in place of Rhys Browne and Britt Assombalonga.
MK Dons made the brighter start and took an early lead when Jon Mellish capitalised on a loose ball after Cieran Slicker failed to claim a cross.
Barnet responded as the half wore on, going close through Ryan Glover and Adam Senior before Danny Collinge headed home an equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
The Bees carried that momentum into the second half, taking the lead just three minutes after the restart through Kabongo Tshimanga’s composed finish.
Idris Kanu then added a third soon after, putting Barnet firmly in control of proceedings.
Slicker produced a crucial penalty save to deny Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, while Callum Stead also made a vital goal-line clearance to preserve the advantage.
Barnet continued to dominate late on and comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure an impressive 3-1 victory at Stadium MK.
Barnet’s last five results:
MK Dons 1 – 3 Barnet
Crawley Town 1-1 Barnet
Barnet FC 1-2 Newport County
Salford City 2 – 0 Barnet FC
Barnet FC 1 – 0 Chesterfield
Cambridge United:
The U’s currently sit in the third automatic promotion place, 2 points behind second place MK Dons.
Cambridge have recorded three consecutive clean sheets and will aim to make it four in a row for the first time in a single EFL season since February 1992.
Cambridge United produced a controlled performance against Salford last weekend to limit their visitors and secure a narrow victory, extending their unbeaten run to nine matches and recording a 16th clean sheet of the season.
Neil Harris made one change from the draw at Walsall, with James Brophy returning to the starting XI as the U’s looked to strengthen their position in the automatic promotion places.
The hosts started brightly and created the better chances in a cagey first-half, with efforts from James Gibbons, Mamadou Jobe and Sullay Kaikai testing the opposition but failing to break the deadlock.
Their dominance continued after the break and paid off early in the second-half, as Gibbons powered home a header from Brophy’s delivery to give Cambridge the lead.
Despite pushing for a second goal, Cambridge were forced to stay alert at the back, with Jake Eastwood producing key saves to deny late chances and preserve the advantage.
The U’s stood firm through a tense finish to claim all three points, maintaining their strong home form.
Cambridge United’s last five results:
Cambridge United 1 – 0 Salford City
Walsall 0 – 0 Cambridge United
Cambridge United 5 – 0 Gillingham
Accrington Stanley 1 – 1 Cambridge United
Cambridge United 1 – 1 MK Dons
In the opposition dugout:
Neil Harris is the manager of Cambridge United, bringing a wealth of experience from his playing career and previous roles in English football management.
Harris returned to the club in 2024 for a second spell in charge, having previously managed the U’s earlier in his career.
Ones to watch:
Cambridge United’s main attacking threats come from Ben Knight and Sullay Kaikai, who are currently the club’s top scorers with 8 league goals each this season.
Kaikai has added 2 assists, making him a key creative outlet in wide areas.
In midfield, James Brophy has been influential with 3 goals and a team-high 8 assists, contributing consistently from open play and set-pieces.
At the back, Jake Eastwood has played a crucial role, keeping 16 clean sheets in the league and helping Cambridge boast one of the strongest defences.
Last time the sides met:
The most recent meeting between Barnet and Cambridge United came in November 2025, when the two sides played out a 0-0 draw in the Sky Bet League Two.
It was a tight encounter with few clear-cut chances, reflected in the fact neither side was able to break the deadlock across the 90 minutes.
It was a cagey encounter in Cambridgeshire, with few clear-cut chances in the first-half as both sides struggled to break the deadlock despite efforts from Idris Kanu and Adam Senior testing Jake Eastwood.
Barnet grew into the game and created the better openings, but were repeatedly denied by Eastwood, including a one-on-one stop to keep the scores level at the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with limited chances at either end and both defences holding firm, as the match ultimately finished goalless.
The result continued a trend between the two teams, with 6 of their last 12 meetings ending in draws.
Earlier in the season, the Bees did claim a 3-2 win over Cambridge in the EFL Trophy, showing how closely matched the sides have been.
COYB