Preview: Bristol Rovers vs. Oxford United - prediction, team news, lineups

The Pirates' poor form continued against Exeter City last time out, whilst Oxford suffered a rare home defeat at the hands of Yokrshire outfit Barnsley.

Match preview

Bristol Rovers extended their losing run in all competitions to a worrying four matches on Tuesday night, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Exeter at the Memorial Stadium, meaning Saturday's hosts are yet to taste victory since the turn of the calendar year.

The Pirates were behind during the first half of the contest in the West Country last time out, with 19-year-old Sonny Cox bagging a goal for the visiting Grecians in the 12th minute, and the hosts were unable to breach the net of Viljami Sinisalo to restore parity before the final whistle.

Rovers currently occupy 13th position in the third-tier standings after collecting a steady tally of 34 points from their opening 27 games, meaning they sit eight points ahead of 21st-placed Reading in the highest of the relegation spots, but 15 points behind the top-six places.

Former Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor is now at the helm at the Memorial Stadium but has struggled to get his men into a good vein of form, and the 41-year-old has openly expressed his disappointment at the lack of activity from the club during the January transfer window.

The Pirates have been reliant on the goalscoring antics of veteran striker Chris Martin so far in the 2023-24 league campaign, with the former Derby County marksman netting 10 League One goals in 18 appearances, six more than any of his teammates.

Following the departure of ex-manger Liam Manning as he went to take up coaching duties at Championship side Bristol City, Oxford United are struggling to keep up their early-season form of late, being condemned to a fourth loss in six across all competitions on Tuesday night.

Having already scored once in the right net this campaign, U's centre-back Sam Long doubled his tally for the term but unfortunately found the back of his own goal, with visiting Barnsley holding onto the one-goal advantage until the full-time whistle despite being dominated at Kassam Stadium.

After enjoying a spot in the top two during the opening months of the season, Oxford have slipped down to sixth place in the League One standings following a tricky winter period so far, although the U's possess a comforting three-point buffer over the chasing pack, headed up by Stevenage in seventh.

United have been relatively potent on their third-tier travels in 2023-24, winning eight of their 14 league outings to date - a tally only Paul Warne's Derby County can best, although the U's have been defeated on the road five times.

Providing plenty of spark and creativity from the engine room once again, Cameron Brannagan leads the Golden Boot race at the Kassam Stadium with seven goals in 25 League One contests, whilst providing five assists for teammates, meaning he is top of that attacking metric also.

Bristol Rovers League One form:

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Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

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Oxford United League One form:

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Oxford United form (all competitions):

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Team News

Bristol Rovers are set to be without the services of centre-back Connor Taylor on the weekend, with the 22-year-old being forced off after just 10 minutes on Tuesday.

Joshua Grant was replaced at half-time at the Memorial Stadium against the Grecians and is unlikely to start this one, meaning Lewis Gordon could be promoted from the bench.

Pirates boss Taylor could opt to freshen up his attack after they drew a blank last time out, so the likes of Jevani Brown and Harvey Vale will be hoping for starts.

Own-goal scorer Long was substituted after only 35 minutes on Tuesday night against Barnsley, and the 29-year-old is set to be replaced in the XI by Oisin Smyth.

Full-back Gregory Leigh is set for a start on the flanks at the expense of Joseph Bennett, who was substituted during the half-time break on Tuesday.

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Cox; Crama, Connolly, Grant; Hunt, Evans, Finley, Thomas, McCormick; Collins, Marquis

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Cumming; Smyth, Moore, Brown; Stevens, Brannagan, McGuane, Leigh; Rodrigues, Goodrham, Harris

We say: Bristol Rovers 1-2 Oxford United

Bristol Rovers are enduring a wretched run of form but have the opportunity to put things right quickly this weekend, although the visit of Oxford will be a tough assignment.

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