SM
Sports Mole words bigger AMP 2
Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano: 20 hrs 14 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
OU
Oxford United
FA Cup | Second Round
Nov 26, 2022 at 3pm UK
Kassam Stadium
EC
Exeter City

Oxford Utd
4 - 1
Exeter

Taylor (9'), Bodin (79', 88'), Brannagan (85')
McGuane (51'), Taylor (74')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Jay (89')
Hartridge (22'), Sparkes (37'), Key (71')

Preview: Oxford United vs. Exeter City - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Oxford United vs. Exeter City - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's FA Cup clash between Oxford United and Exeter City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

It is a battle of the League One sides at The Kassam Stadium on Saturday as Oxford United and Exeter City fight for a place in the third round of the FA Cup.

A single point separates the two clubs in the third-tier table ahead of this cup tie, with a potential match against a Premier League giant on the cards for the winners in the next round.


Match preview

Preview: Oxford Utd vs. Exeter - prediction, team news, lineups

When League One's basement-dwellers Forest Green Rovers arrived in Oxfordshire last Saturday, Karl Robinson's side were heavy favourites to take all three points and move themselves into the top half of the standings.

Things started well when James Henry put The U's in the lead within 20 minutes, but a second-half performance that Robinson described as his side's worst all season allowed the visitors to equalise and force a share of the spoils - with a point quite generous to an Oxford team who barely posed a threat after the interval.

That stalemate against Rovers extended Oxford's unbeaten run to six games in the league, but with four of those fixtures ending in 1-1 draws, United have struggled to climb the League One table and are sitting in 13th position, six points behind sixth-placed Barnsley.

Newly-appointed chief executive Tim Williams has stated his aim to make Oxford United a top-30 club within the English game as well as regulars in the Championship, an ambition that led club officials to visit Formula 1 team Alpine this week as they look to learn about recovery from their sports science staff.

A battling first-round success at non-league Woking was as far away from the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 as possible, but nevertheless Oxford fans saw a different side to their team in that hard-earned win at The Laithwaite Community Stadium which bodes well for Saturday's second-round match.

Exeter City have continued to progress as a team despite the exit of former boss Matthew Taylor to Rotherham United in October, with the Devon-based club impressing in their first season back in the third tier since the 2010-11 campaign.

Gary Caldwell's side are currently 11th in League One, five points away from the playoff positions but most importantly a healthy 11 points ahead of MK Dons in the highest of the relegation places.

A 2-0 home defeat to Ipswich Town last weekend continued Exeter's trend of struggling against the bigger names in League One, with Caldwell's men suffering 4-2 losses to Plymouth Argyle, Charlton Athletic and Saturday's opponents Oxford over the past two months.

Jevani Brown has enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign for the Grecians, providing nine goals and eight assists in 18 games so far, meaning he tops the league's goal-contribution chart alongside Bristol Rovers' Aaron Collins.

Twenty-eight-year-old Brown was at the double in Exeter's 3-2 win at fellow League One side Port Vale in the first round, with another tricky tie against capable third-tier opposition between them and a coveted place in the third-round draw.

Oxford United FA Cup form:


Oxford United form (all competitions):


Exeter City FA Cup form:


Exeter City form (all competitions):



Team News

Oxford winger Billy Bodin is a doubt for Saturday after being forced off after 23 minutes in the draw with Forest Green, with the Welshman's departure in the match correlating with The U's deteriorating performance.

Robinson will be able to call on the services of Jodi Jones this weekend, with the 25-year-old back from playing for Malta in friendlies against Greece and Ireland during this unprecedented international break.

Marcus McGuane only made a substitute appearance last time out with Robinson confirming the player was suffering from fatigue, but the former Barcelona man should return to the starting XI in this game.

Exeter's Rekeem Harper was unable to play against Ipswich last weekend due to the terms of his loan deal from Portman Road but will be back in contention on Saturday as he looks to add to his 13 starts in all competitions.

Long-term absentee Kyle Taylor remains out for the Grecians after sustaining a serious knee injury in March against Oldham Athletic, with a timeline for his return not yet established.

Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Eastwood; Anderson, Long, Findlay, Brown; McGuane, Brannagan, Henry, Browne, Goodrham; Taylor

Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Key, Sweeney, Hartridge; Caprice, Collins, Kite, Sparkes, Dieng; Stansfield, Brown


We say: Oxford United 1-2 Exeter City

Oxford are six unbeaten in League One but have failed to earn enough maximums to be competing at the top end of the third tier and looked very unconvincing against Forest Green last time out.

Exeter have shown they possess the firepower to comfortably survive this season and it could be a case of Brown's brilliance securing them passage to the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__500466 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-06-05 13:16:34:
html db last update - 2024-06-05 13:16:34 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Saturday's League One predictions including Burton Albion vs. Plymouth Argyle
Two strikers, but no strikers? Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd33226547232470
2Leeds UnitedLeeds32209366194769
3Burnley33171423993065
4Sunderland321711449282162
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn33156123931851
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom331115742311148
7Coventry CityCoventry33138124441347
8Bristol City33111394137446
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds33129124650-445
10Watford33136144348-545
11Middlesbrough32128125043744
12Norwich CityNorwich331111115145644
13Queens Park RangersQPR331111113941-244
14Millwall321011113233-141
15Preston North EndPreston3291493438-441
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd33911133447-1338
17Swansea CitySwansea33107163446-1237
18Portsmouth3399154155-1436
19Stoke CityStoke32811133140-935
20Cardiff CityCardiff32711143554-1932
21Hull City3279163243-1130
22Derby CountyDerby3378183346-1329
23Plymouth ArgylePlymouth32610163466-3228
24Luton TownLuton3276193052-2227
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

newE www

Two strikers, but no strikers? Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week

1

TS
Two strikers, but no strikers? Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week

Greek Gunners: Arsenal 'initiate contact' for 'new Iniesta'?

2

GG
Greek Gunners: Arsenal 'initiate contact' for 'new Iniesta'?

Muani magic: Inter flounder in front of goal and suffer blow in title race

3

MM
Muani magic: Inter flounder in front of goal and suffer blow in title race

Preview: Shrewsbury vs. Huddersfield - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PS
Preview: Shrewsbury vs. Huddersfield - prediction, team news, lineups

Three minutes for Obi: Amorim explains reluctance to use bench vs. Spurs

5

TM
Three minutes for Obi: Amorim explains reluctance to use bench vs. Spurs

'Not a soft knock': Could Liverpool's Gakpo miss two crucial fixtures?

6

'A
'Not a soft knock': Could Liverpool's Gakpo miss two crucial fixtures?

Preview: Kansas vs. Inter Miami - prediction, team news, lineups

7

PK
Preview: Kansas vs. Inter Miami - prediction, team news, lineups

"Tough to process" - Arsenal's Havertz breaks injury silence in social media post

8

&T
"Tough to process" - Arsenal's Havertz breaks injury silence in social media post

Planning ahead? Belgium international 'catches the eye' of Championship side Leeds

9

PA

Arsenal to rival Chelsea for £17m-rated attacker?

10

AT
1x1


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .