Boss Keith Curle is expecting "a physical encounter" as he prepares his Carlisle United side for their first league away fixture of the season.

United will travel to the Cambs Glass Stadium this afternoon (3pm kick-off) to face Cambridge, looking to build-on their Carabao Cup 2-1 extra-time victory over League One outfit Fleetwood on Tuesday night.

Both teams lost their first League Two fixtures of the 2017/18 campaign last Saturday, with the Blues beaten 2-1 at home to Swindon and the U's going down to a 1-0 defeat at Exeter.

But both sides finished in the right half of the table last term, with Carlisle losing out in the play-offs and Cambridge finishing 11th.

"First and foremost, I think it will be a physical encounter that we will have to deal with," Curle said.

"I think it will be a confrontational game where there will be a lot of individual challenges throughout the pitch. Make no bones about it - we have to earn the right to go and play our football.

"The environment, the setting, the manager [Shaun Derry], the personalities and the individuals that they have within their team are suited for a confrontational game. But we won't take a backwards step.

"We deal with the physical side of the game and then earn the right to play our football, and play in the areas that we want to play."

With midfielder Luke Berry the U's top-scorer last season, Cambridge have bolstered their frontline significantly this summer.

Striker Jabo Ibehre swapped Cumbria for Cambridge this summer, while another former Blue in David Amoo also joined Derry's team after being released by Partick Thistle.

Curle added: "I think they have made some good acquisitions. At the start of the season, for the first couple of games, there is a little bit of a bedding in period.

"You get the anticipation, the nerves and the wanting to do well and get off to a good start. That can affect results. But, ultimately, the teams last season that didn't have good starts, had very good finishes.

"I think Cambridge are a team again that have brought in some personnel that will have a good impact on them at crucial times in the season.

"Yes, they got off to a slow start - in one game. Likewise, so have we.

"But we want to put points on the board as soon as possible. I think there will be a different mentality from their manager. It feels like they have got their game plan and they have got the style of play with the personnel that they have brought in that will get them positive results."

There were no fresh injury concerns for Carlisle from their Carabao Cup win over Fleetwood in midweek.

Brad Halliday is the only absentee for Cambridge for today's game, while Curle is likely to be without midfield quartet John O'Sullivan, Kelvin Etuhu, Jason Kennedy and Samir Nabi. But the Blues boss suggested that the latter three could potentially return in time for next Saturday's match at home to Cheltenham.