Oxford United will look to push towards the Championship playoff spots with a victory over visitors Derby County on Tuesday at the Kassam Stadium.
The home team are in 11th place with 13 points from 10 league matches and are tied on points with Derby, who are 12th in the table and are five points behind sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers, who occupy the final promotion playoff spot.
Match preview
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Oxford drew 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, a match in which the U's trailed after 29 minutes before Dane Scarlett equalised in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
The game itself was evenly contested, as many of the U's recent matches have been given they have drawn their last four, coming from behind to earn a point in the three games prior to the draw against West Brom.
Boss Des Buckingham praised his players for their second-half performance against the Baggies, saying that the team stuck to their identity and did not panic after conceding first.
Oxford have scored 14 goals and conceded on 12 occasions, and of the 24 teams in the division, these records make them the joint sixth-best offensive and joint 10th best defensive side respectively.
The U's have drawn four and lost one of their last five matches in the Championship, winning three and losing two of the prior five games in the second tier.
To Oxford's credit, they have proven resilient at home considering they have drawn two and won four of their six most recent league fixtures at the Kassam Stadium, and they have won five, drawn seven and lost just twice in their last 15 home games in the Championship.
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As for the visitors, they drew 1-1 on Saturday against Millwall, though they will perhaps be disappointed that they failed to take all three points given they had taken the lead thanks to Jerry Yates in the 75th minute before conceding an equaliser just seven minutes later.
Manager Paul Warne said in the aftermath of the draw that he felt his team were resolute defensively against Millwall, and he even argued that his side should have been awarded a penalty in the second half.
Of the teams in the Championship, the Rams have scored 1.3 goals per game and conceded 1.3 times per game, the joint eighth best and joint 13th best figures in the division respectively.
Derby have drawn one and won one of their two most recent games, but they lost the previous three matches by a cumulative score of 6-2.
The away side have lost four and drawn one of their five fixtures on the road in the Championship this term, and inclusive of their last season in the Championship in 2022-23, they have lost 13 of their 15 most recent away matches in the division.
Team News
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Oxford left-back Joseph Bennett will miss out as a result of a broken ankle, and he is not scheduled to return until January 2025 at the earliest.
Josh McEachran and Przemyslaw Placheta missed their side's match against West Brom, but while the latter is not likely to feature, he could soon make a comeback.
More positively, while Oxford will be unable to select wide player Matthew Phillips and midfielder Cameron Brannagan on Tuesday, the pair should be available in late October and early next month respectively.
Forward Kyle Edwards was left out of the Oxford squad that drew against West Brom, so expect Siriki Dembele, Mark Harris and Tyler Goodrham to start in a front three.
As for Derby, they will be without striker Tawanda Chirewa until the middle of December, as well as midfielder David Ozoh until early November.
Right-back Ryan Nyambe was forced off due to a knee injury against Millwall, so expect Kane Wilson to come into the backline where he may be partnered by Curtis Nelson, Eiran Joe Cashin and Craig Forsyth.
Kenzo Goudmijn could be joined in a midfield three by Ebou Adams and Marcus Harness, with striker Jerry Yates certain to start up front.
Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Kioso, Moore, B Nelson, Brown; Rodrigues, Vaulka, El Mizouni; Goodrham, Dembele, Harris
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Wilson, C Nelson, Cashin, Forsyth; Goudmijn, Adams, Harness; Jackson, Yates, Blackett-Taylor
We say: Oxford United 2-1 Derby County
Considering the poor form of Derby on the road in the Championship, it would not be surprising if they struggled for large periods on Tuesday.
However, Oxford have found it difficult to pick up wins recently, and the game could be low scoring.
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