The U’s, who are currently ninth in League Two, are the lowest-ranked side remaining in the competition, but John McGreal’s men have knocked out two Premier League sides - Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur - on their way to the last eight.
The Reds have faced Colchester just twice in the past, with the first meeting taking place in February 1979 when we won 1-0 away in the FA Cup fifth round. Jimmy Greenhoff was the scorer.
The last time we played them was in the League Cup third round in November 1983 when we ran out 2-0 winners in Essex, thanks to first-half goals from Gordon McQueen and Remi Moses.