Boss Dean Saunders has named an unchanged team for Crawley’s crucial relegation scrap with Colchester United.

Saunders has stuck with the side which suffered an unfortunate 2-1 defeat at home to leaders Bristol City last weekend.

That means midfielder Marvin Elliott has to settle for a place on the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury which had ruled him out of the last four games.

Elliott replaces Emmett O’Connor among the substitutes but there is still no place in the squad for Lanre Oyebanjo who remains sidelined by a hamstring problem.

Saunders is also expected to persist with the 3-4-2-1 formation he has used in the last two matches for the clash at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Colchester have made a double loan signing ahead of a game which will have a huge bearing on both sides’ hopes of staying in League One.

South Africa international defender Bongani Khumalo has joined from Tottenham Hotspur while striker Jacob Murphy arrives from Norwich City.

Murphy comes straight in for his debut but Khumalo is not even inlcuded on the bench while Elliott Hewitt replaces Alex Wynter at right-back.

Colchester (4-3-3): Walker; Hewitt, Eastman, Osborne, Briggs; Fox, Gilbey Szmodics; Massey, Porter, Murphy. Subs: Lewington, Wynter, Healey, Vincent-Young, Moncur, Bonne, Sembie-Ferris.

Crawley (3-4-2-1): Price; Wood, Ward, Bradley; Young, Fowler, Wordsworth, Dickson; Pogba, Tomlin; McLeod. Subs: Jensen, Anderson, Elliott, Bawling, Morgan, Edwards, Smith.