German oarsman Sebastian Schulte makes his third appearance in the Light Blue Boat – and he’s hoping it will mark his first win.

But the 28-year-old German Olympic oarsman says Cambridge’s tag as the bookies’ favourites this year will have no bearing on Saturday’s race, which is sponsored by Xchanging.

“I don’t care what the bookies think. It doesn’t make us row any faster or any slower. Oxford have shown they can put really good crews together on the day and we expect them to do the same again.

“We’re prepared for a big challenge,” he said. “We’ve got some good speed over the last 10 days, so we’re feeling confident. Everything is in order right now and we’re getting more speed every day. So far it feels pretty good.”

The 153rd Boat Race, which is sponsored by Xchanging, gets underway at 4.30pm on Saturday (7th April).