Lincoln City make the trip south to Oxford tonight looking to build on their impressive victory over Chester last week. Brian Talbot’s men have only won one of their last eight League games and so the Imps won’t have a better time to record their second away success of the season.
Vital Quotes:
Brian Talbot:
‘Our performance wasn’t up to scratch on Tuesday night and I want a reaction from my players against Lincoln. We need to be more consistent because we are like a yo-yo, we are so up and down.’
Keith Alexander:
‘Sometimes this season we’ve played some good football, but we’ve tended to overcomplicate things.
‘At this level people don’t like the ball in behind them, and they don’t like the ball in the box, so if you’re brave and strong you’ve got a good chance.’
Oxford Utd Team News:
Chris Hargreaves returns for Oxford after recovering from a thigh injury. But there are doubts concerning striker Steve Basham (calf) and on-loan midfielder Adam Griffin ? the pair will undergo late fitness tests to see if they can play.
Player to watch: Eric Sabin
French striker Eric Sabin is the form man for United, with the former Boston man scoring five goals in his last six matches. That’s his best scoring spell ever in English football and he could cause the Imps a few problems.
Lincoln City Team News:
Dean Keates begins a three-match suspension for City following his dismissal against Chester last Saturday. Defender Colin Cryan is expected to be fit after missing the last four games through injury, but there are still doubts concerning Lee Beevers, who is troubled by an ankle problem. There could be a change up front with Marvin Robinson pushing hard for a starting berth and he could be preferred to Gary Birch.
Player to watch: Derek Asamoah
City’s best player in recent matches has been Derek Asamoah, with the Ghanian-born winger blossoming duriong the winter months. While not scoring as many goals as he should, on his day he can turn a game and the Imps will be hoping he can stamp his authority on proceedings early on.
Match Facts & Stats
Head-to-heads:
Oxford won 13: Lincoln won 9: Draws 5
Last 10 matches (all competitions)
Oxford: DLWLWLDWDL
Lincoln: LLWDDLLDDW
Leading scorers (all competitions)
Oxford: Steve Basham 8
Lincoln: Gary Birch 8
Match Prediction:
City’s tails will be up after their impressive performance against Chester last time out and they could nick all three points at the Kassam Stadium. Oxford are proving to be very inconsistent of late and their home form is very hit and miss. Back City to take the spoils here, 2-1.
Next Fixtures:
Oxford:
Dec 20: Cheltenham (a) (LDV Vans Trophy)
Lincoln:
Dec 26: Boston (h) (League Two)
