Oxford United vs Bradford City - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by 3 points astatine the apical of apical extremity of League One table, Oxford United and Bradford City volition quadrate disconnected astatine the Kassam Stadium connected Saturday.

The visitors find themselves 3rd and successful a seven-game unbeaten tally successful the league, portion their hosts are lone extracurricular of the playoffs connected extremity quality with games successful manus connected teams above.

Match preview

Oxford United caput into the play aiming to widen a six-game unbeaten tally and interruption into League One's playoff spots.

Setting retired for an contiguous instrumentality to the Championship aft relegation past clip astir and nether the caller absorption of Aaron Ramsey, they person made a affirmative start, earning 18 points from their archetypal 9 outings portion suffering conscionable 1 defeat.

That came astatine the opening of September, and the U's person since won 4 and drawn 2 of six league matches, putting them level with sixth spot and lone down connected extremity quality and 4 disconnected the apical 2 with 2 games successful manus connected each broadside successful the apical six.

On the backmost of a gully distant astatine Mansfield Town, successful which they were reduced to 9 men, Ramsey's men astir precocious hosted Wigan Athletic connected Tuesday and returned to winning ways successful a 2-1 triumph, having led done Michal Helik and been pegged backmost 20 minutes from clip earlier Kai Andrews restored their pb with the decisive extremity successful the 76th minute.

With assurance increasing nether Ramsey and their sights acceptable connected the playoff spots and the apical 2 with games successful hand, Oxford United volition purpose to summation crushed connected 1 of those chap promotion-chasers astatine the play and enactment 3 much points connected the board.

In their mode basal a visiting broadside acceptable connected returning to the automatic promotion spots by bouncing backmost to winning ways.

After earning League Two promotion successful 2024-25 and reaching the League One playoffs past season, Bradford City person continued a beardown play successful the aboriginal stages of the caller term, again challenging astatine the apical of the 3rd tier with 21 points connected the committee from 11 games.

The archetypal 7 of those games came nether promotion-winning manager Graham Alexander, who would depart for the Championship, leaving Mark Trueman to oversee a gully against Reading earlier Michael Duff arrived and continued an unbeaten streak successful his archetypal 3 games astatine the helm, playing retired goalless stalemates against Leyton Orient and Burton Albion either broadside of a 2-0 triumph implicit Stevenage past weekend.

Indeed, the Bantams' occurrence this word is based connected their antiaircraft record, having conceded conscionable 5 goals successful 11 games and kept 8 cleanable sheets including their archetypal 3 games nether Duff, but their tally of 10 goals scored is the 2nd fewest extracurricular of the relegation zone.

Still with positives to instrumentality from their modulation to caller management, Bradford City volition present anticipation to amended that attacking signifier and span the one-point spread to the apical 2 with what would beryllium a connection distant win.

Oxford United League One form:

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Oxford United signifier (all competitions):

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Bradford City League One form:

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Bradford City signifier (all competitions):

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Team News

Oxford United stay without midfielder Jamie McDonnell done injury, portion Ruben Roosken and Jeon Jin-Woo person besides missed the entirety of the play frankincense far.

Ramsey whitethorn tract an unchanged starting XI from the midweek triumph implicit Wigan, though Luka Lynch and Aidomo Emakhu volition vie for attacking spots with the second having returned disconnected the seat connected Tuesday aft an wounded layoff.

Coventry City loanee Kai Andrews volition proceed to articulation mainstay Cameron Brannagan successful midfield aft his cricial extremity past clip out.

Bradford City's Tyreik Wright and Josh Neufville stay confined to the attraction room.

George Pratt, Aden Baldwin and Matthew Pennington are bound to enactment up successful an unaltered backmost 3 successful beforehand of goalkeeper Jon McCracken aft 3 consecutive cleanable sheets.

Jake Beesley should again pb the enactment with enactment from Bobby Pointon, contempt contention from Stephen Humphrys and Kayden Jackson, portion Nick Powell is often utilized arsenic a information antheral disconnected the bench.

Oxford United imaginable starting lineup:

Cumming; Spencer, Helik, Brown, Currie; Brannagan, Andrews; Missanga, Goodrham, Dembele; Harris

Bradford City imaginable starting lineup:

McCracken; Pennington, Baldwin, Pratt; O'Keeffe, Sarcevic, Connolly, Touray; Swan, Beesley, Pointon

We say: Oxford United 1-1 Bradford City

Given Bradford's way grounds this season, peculiarly successful distant games and nether Michael Duff, we bash not expect a high-scoring contention connected Saturday, but the Bantams bash look 1 of their toughest tests truthful acold against a beardown Oxford United broadside and we spot some sides getting connected the scoresheet and sharing the points.

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