Oxford United

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United head coach Des Buckingham welcomes back three players from injury as they prepare for 11 league games in the next six weeks.

Cameron Brannagan, Matt Phillips and Przemyslaw Placheta will all be in the squad for Saturday's Championship match at home to Middlesbrough.

"We've spoken about building depth in the squad but we didn't expect it to be tested as early this season," Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford.

"We've had to go away from how we play, change shape and it takes some time to get to where you want to get. The players have adapted to it really well but having players back gives us more choice and options."

Oxford follow the game against Middlesbrough with a trip to second-placed Sheffield United and a home meeting with in-form Millwall.

"I'm sure the fans are looking forward to having no more international breaks and we've got 23 games to play before the next one," added Buckingham.

"We've prepared for it in terms of recruitment and how we train the players. It's going to be important how we manage the group we have and it's nice to have three back, but we don't want to lose any."

Image source, BBC Sport

Oxford have won just one of their last 10 games (D5 L4) following a 1-0 defeat at Watford last time out and welcome a Middlesbrough side who thrashed Luton 5-1 before the international break.

The U's are two points above the drop zone, while Boro are just one point behind Watford in the play-off spots and have won two on the bounce, scoring nine goals in the process.

• Oxford United have failed to win any of their last eight league games against Middlesbrough (D2 L6), though this is the first such meeting since a 4-1 loss in May 1998.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten across their last four away league games against Oxford United (W3 D1), winning their last visit 4-1 in October 1997.

• Oxford United won three of their opening five Championship games this season (L2) but have since won just one of their last 10 games (D5 L4).

• Middlesbrough have had the second-most shots in the Championship this season (242), while opponents Oxford have had the fewest (148).

• Boro have netted 4+ goals in their last two games (4-1 v QPR, 5-1 v Luton) and last did so in three in a row back in November 1947.

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United are waiting to check on the fitness of Peter Kioso after he came off at half-time on his international debut for the DR Congo on Tuesday.

The right-back was replaced at the break with the Leopards trailing Ethiopia 1-0, with coach Sebastien Desabre saying after the match that Kioso had been unwell and returned to the team hotel before the end of the game.

DR Congo lost 2-1 in stoppage-time, though they had already qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in December 2025.

Kioso was initially named on the standby list for last month’s double-header with Tanzania but was promoted to the squad following an injury to Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe, though he didn’t appear in either game nor a 1-0 defeat to Guinea last week.

Us team-mate Mark Harris started up front for Wales and played 65 minutes in their 4-1 Nations League win over Iceland which ensured they will be promoted to the top tier of the competition.

Oxford United midfielder Will Vaulks says the international break has come at a "good time" for the squad given their lengthy injury list.

Midfielder Louie Sibley was recently ruled out for at least four weeks with an ankle injury, while centre-back Ben Nelson, winger Siriki Dembele and midfielder Cameron Brannagan are among seven others who remain sidelined.

"We don't want to make excuses but we have got a lot of top players in the team out at the moment," Vaulks told BBC Radio Oxford's The Dub podcast.

"When they come back, that will benefit the group. I think the break comes at a good time and we'll look at the next load of fixtures and try and take as many points as we can, which is what we always try and do."

Des Buckingham's side are 16th in the Championship following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road on Friday night.

Despite the loss, Vaulks said the U's "have to take the positives from games" and also "learn from the things that haven’t been so good".

"Sunderland, we got outclassed and outperformed and we didn’t turn up the way we would expect to," he added.

"Other than that, we can only look at games and say we should've had more points. But I don't want to say that too often because we need to switch that around.

"The start of the season, we started really well but I don't think we've come away from those performances. I think teams maybe they just didn't respect as much at the start - and also teams take a while to get going."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United head coach Des Buckingham says they are enjoying battling against the odds on their return to the Championship.

The U's are playing their first season in the second tier since 1999 and are in 16th place as they prepare to visit Watford on Friday.

"I'm extremely proud of everything that's going on at this club at the moment - we are the probably the smallest club in this league but that's not something we're embarrassed about, it's something we embrace and makes us what we are," Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford.

"We're in a very strong spot - we were tipped to finish rock bottom of this league and we've shown we can compete."

Oxford are yet to win away from home this season but ended an eight game run without a victory by beating Hull City at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday.

"We haven't won away from home yet but that will change at some point and Friday gives us a chance to do that before the break," Buckingham added.

"They're the strongest team at home in the league at the moment but we'll go with a plan to try to come away with something."

You can follow live text coverage of Watford against Oxford United on the BBC Sport website and app from 19:45 GMT.

Image source, Rex Features

Louie Sibley will be out for at least the next four weeks after picking up an ankle injury.

The midfielder made his first Championship start of the season in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Swansea but then missed Tuesday's win over Hull City.

"My injury board has got too many names on it at the moment," Oxford manager Des Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford.

"Louie (Sibley) went over on his ankle in training on Monday and will be out for four to six weeks.

"Ben Nelson had to come off tonight (against Hull) and we’ll assess him and decide whether we need to send him for a scan."

Oxford's victory against Hull City was their first in nine Championship games and they are now preparing for a trip to Watford on Friday.

"We are really testing the depth of our squad, Jordan Thornley has been out with an ankle injury which he sustained two or three months ago and has been coming back from that.

"We are eight or nine starting players light which impacts us more than it might other teams in this league but we won’t use that as an excuse," added Buckingham.

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford boss Des Buckingham says he's pleased with how his players adapted to a new system in their 1-0 win over Hull City on Tuesday evening.

The victory ended an eight game run without a win for Buckingham's side although the manager has been keen to put a different spin on that sequence.

"This year is about making sure we pick up points as we go and we've managed to do that in seven of our last nine games," Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford.

"It's a different type of performance with a very different set up to what we're used to which was the pleasing thing that got the result."

Oxford had lost back-to-back games before beating Hull with the manager choosing to change tactics.

"We did a bit of work on that formation and shape last week to make sure we didn't have to throw it all at the players this week if we wanted to change to it.

"We put a lot more detail around that when we trained (on Monday) and the players took it on board very well."

Image source, Getty Images

Oxford United head coach Des Buckingham says he is not worried by his side's recent form despite going into Tuesday's match against Hull City eight games without a win.

The U's lost their first home league match of the season on Saturday to Swansea but Buckingham is not panicking just yet.

"We were disappointed with the performance on Saturday," Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford.

"Woke up Sunday morning and I was already working on it and the players have been really clear working on that as well."

Newly promoted United started the season impressively, winning their first three home league matches, but are now without a win in all competitions since September 14.

"I think the biggest thing is not to overreact - [it is only] one game at home where we haven't played to the levels that we certainly started with," added Buckingham.

"If that was the case where we are talking four, five games or if that was the case all season, I would be very concerned.

"So we have to put it into context whilst also understanding that the standards we've set, we make sure we hold ourselves to them."

Image source, BBC Sport

Oxford United are looking for their first win in nine Championship games when they face Hull City on Tuesday, having drawn five and lost three since a 1-0 victory at home to Stoke on 14 September.

The Tigers are winless in five (D3 L2) going into the trip to the Kassam Stadium and have drawn each of their past three matches 1-1.

• Oxford United are unbeaten in their last 13 home league games against Hull City (W8 D5) since a 3-2 defeat in November 1975.

• This is the first time Oxford and Hull have faced in the second tier of English football since a 1-0 win for the U's back in March 1991.

• Oxford haven't won a league game in midweek since February against Wigan 4-2, drawing three of their five games since (L2).

• Hull have won just two of their last seven away league games (D2 L3), while they're winless in their last five league matches on the road to newly promoted sides (D2 L3).

• Six of Hull's eight away league goals this season have come in the second half, while the only game they've scored in the first 45 minutes of on the road this season was at QPR last month.

Image source, Rex Features

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