Winless Stevenage parted ways with Dino Maamria earlier in the week following a run of seven league games without victory which has left them rooted in bottom spot at the beginning of the second month of the campaign.
The Boro have been plagued by injuries - Scott Cuthbert was the latest to be added to the list when he left the pitch in the first half of what ended up as a 4-2 defeat at Cheltenham on Saturday - but just three draws and seven goals conceded in the last two games brought the axe down on Maamria's stay.
Former-England Lionesses boss Mark Sampson has stepped into the hotseat, with youth coach Alex Revell his assistant - the pair will be in the dugout this weekend when Carlisle come to town.
An away point at Leyton Orient midway through August appeared to signal that defeats against Salford and Exeter had been dealt with, but a home reverse at the hands of Bradford followed, and the month was rounded off with frustrating draws against Mansfield and Macclesfield.
Last weekend's defeat at Cheltenham was tough to take, and the four goals conceded in that game meant that Boro had shipped nine in their last three outings, another worrying trend they'll be looking to rectify.
Stevenage have become a bit of a troublesome thorn for the Cumbrians in recent seasons, with three victories and two draws from the last five meetings. United lost both encounters last season, and we have to go back to October 2016 for our last win - a 2-1 away success courtesy of goals from Jason Kennedy and Danny Grainger.
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From the manager
Speaking ahead of the game, Steven Pressley said: "We said after the game on Saturday that it's about what we do that matters in every game we play.
"There's been a lot happening off the pitch at Stevenage, but we have to ignore that. It's obvious that their players will want to perform for the new management team, but that's the same for every player in the game.
"The desire is there to win, whatever else is happening around the club, and it's that desire that we must harness in ourselves going forward. We've said this a number of times, but we are a very good team when we apply ourselves properly.
"It's fine margins, and we know that if we keep our intensity levels high, and if our key players concentrate and play their game their way, then we'll create chances and we'll win games.
"This is a game where we will have to expect the reaction from the home crowd, and we will have to match their players in every aspect. We've trained well this week and it's one we can all look forward to."
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Head2Head
| Carlisle wins | Draws | Stevenage wins | |
| League | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| Total | 8 | 4 | 7 |
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Highlights from previous meetings
Our last meeting was in April at Stevenage, and it was one to forget for United as Iontton and a brace from Guthrie deflated the travelling crowd.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
The Boro picked up where they had left off the previous season when they came north in September 2018. Carlisle were made to pay for early missed chances when Ben Kennedy scored a beauty after the break, and there was more disappointment when an Adam Campbell header crashed against the post late in the day.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
Our visit to the Lamex in January 2018 was a tight affair but it was United who created the better of the chances, with Danny Grainger and Jamie Devitt both going close from first half free kicks. Sam Cosgrove could have wrapped things up when he was played clean through but, in the end, neither side could find a way to break the deadlock.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
It was another tough one for the Blues almost exactly two years ago when early second half goals from Kennedy and Tom Pett put Boro in cruise control as they saw their way through to a comfortable three points.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
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Match officials
Referee - Martin Coy
Assistant Referee 1 - Anthony Da Costa
Assistant Referee 2 - Mike Desborough
Fourth Official - Paul Kelly
The referee for this game is Mr Martin Coy. Martin has taken charge of five games so far this season, showing 20 yellow cards.
He was with us twice last season, with our first meeting with him being for the home game against Grimsby in October. Luke Hendrie bagged a goal for the visitors just before the break and that proved to be enough to take them on to win the game. There were no Carlisle names taken on the day.
He was also the man in charge for our Checkatrade Trophy meeting with Stoke City u21s the following month. Jack Sowerby gave us the lead, but the away side equalised just 10 minutes later and the tie went to penalties, which Stoke won 5-4. Gary Liddle was the only United name to go in the book.
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Is that a fact?
In May 2015, 56-year-old goalkeeper Dave Beasant was named on the bench for Stevenage’s play-off semi-final against Southend, making him the oldest individual to be selected in a squad in Football League history.
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Match tickets
Full match ticket details are HERE.
You can purchase your tickets online HERE.
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