Saturday's opponents sit just once place above the Blues as the teams share similar records through what has been an encouraging campaign thus far.
Having appeared to drop off the pace through a sticky January, which yielded just one win from five outings, the U's have got themselves right back on track with an unbeaten February record.
Wins over Northampton and Cheltenham saw them score seven goals without reply, but their trip to Macclesfield last Saturday ultimately proved to be a frustrating one as they fell behind just before the break. A penalty from Frank Nouble brought them level, and that's how the game ended despite both sides creating decent chances through the closing stages.
Goals have been evenly spread this term with Sammie Szmodics (11), Luke Norris (8), Frank Nouble (7) and Harry Pell (6) the main protagonists with 32 goals between them.
That solid defensive base, coupled with an ability to fashion chances from anywhere, has made them a potent force as they battle to keep their place in the play-off ranks.
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Manager’s thoughts ...
Speaking ahead of the weekend game, manager Steven Pressley said: "Colchester are a side who got over a blip similar to the one we're experiencing now and they'll be looking to maintain their unbetaen run.
"They're deservedly in the top seven places because, having watched a number of their games, they're a good side with strong attacking options. We'll have to be able to deal with that but, and as I've said before, it's about us and how we do our business that really matters.
"We're looking to get back to winning ways because the confident feeling within the dressing room is still there. There are good players in this squad who can cause teams real problems with the way they move the ball and get forward, but we also must concentrate on keeping ourselves tight and compact so that we have a solid platform to build from.
"It's going to be another good game between two good sides and it's these games at this stage of the season that everybody wants to be involved in."
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Did You Know?
+ The U’s originally formed because Colchester’s existing team, Colchester Town, were reluctant to turn professional. Colchester United then stepped in as a professional outfit.
+ Colchester were named as the ‘Pride of Anglia’ in 2006/07 when they finished above local rivals Norwich and Ipswich in the Championship.
+ Fans voted for a club ‘Cult Hero’ in 2004, with ex-Newcastle man Lomana Lua Lua coming out on top.
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Head to Head
The sides have met on 46 occasions over the years with the U's slightly shading the victories with 19 to United's 17.
| Carlisle wins | Draws | Colchester wins | |
| League | 17 | 10 | 18 |
| League Cup | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 17 | 10 | 19 |
Colchester were at Brunton Park just before Christmas for a game that went the way of the home side thanks to a blistering second half display. Hallam Hope had set the tone with a goal just before the break, and Jerry Yates, Jamie Devitt and Danny Grainger wrapped things up as they hit the back of the net in a second period which was all about the Blues.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
The first meetings of these teams last season was for our October visit to Essex. It was a tight game, with both sides creating good chances, but a superb finish from Jamie Devitt proved to be the difference when he got on the end of a long ball forward before calmly slotting it beneath Walker's dive to find the bottom corner.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
Back up at Brunton Park in February and Courtney Senior gave the visitors the upper hand with a well taken goal just before the break. The Blues came out for the second half in determined mood and Jamie Devitt pounced once more to claim a point for his side with just 10 minutes left on the clock.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
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Man in the middle
Our referee for this game is Mr Trevor Kettle. Trevor has taken charge of 32 games this season showing 124 yellow cards and six reds.
He was last in charge of one of our games when we faced Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena in September 2017. Second half goals from Duckens Nazon and Peter Vincenti gave the Sky Blues a comfortable two-goal victory and Danny Grainger, Luke Joyce and Hallam Hope had their names taken on the day.
Referee - Trevor Kettle
Assistant Referee 1 - Paul Kelly
Assistant Referee 2 - Rob Smith
Fourth Official - Stuart Butler
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Ticket information
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