Lincoln City are looking to keep their play-off hopes alive as they travel to Oxford United on Tuesday night.
Michael Skubala’s side will be searching for a return to winning ways after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Wigan Athletic at home, thanks to a last-minute Charlie Hughes winner.
The Imps are currently 8th in the SkyBet League One table with three games left, five points off the playoffs. A win against Oxford would keep them within the race for a play-off spot.
Opposition: Oxford United
The U’s currently sit in the final play-off place, 6th, with three games remaining in their season.
The hosts beat automatic-promotion chasing Peterborough United 5-0 at home in their last game and look to extend their winning run to four. Oxford have scored 13 goals in their last three games, while also not conceding a single goal across that run.
Team News:
The visitors are facing a crisis in midfield, with Ted Bishop set to miss the trip to the Kassam Stadium.
Ethan Hamilton is also out for the game and will not be seen for the remainder of the season, along with Charlton Athletic-loanee Conor McGrandles.
City head coach Michael Skubala said: “I think you can see that we are hit for midfielders. We need to just get our mentality right and go again and not worry about injuries, not worry about anybody else.”
Head-To-Head:
The hosts have had the upper hand since the two sides first met in 1962, with Oxford winning 19 games to Lincoln’s 15. The sides have shared the spoils on only five occasions.
The reverse fixture at the LNER stadium this season saw Oxford run out 2-0 winners, then under the instruction of Liam Manning, thanks to a goal from Ciaron Brown and own goal from Imps ‘keeper Lukas Jensen.
In the last five meetings, Lincoln have won three games, while the U’s have won the other two.
Featured for both:
Forward Chris Maguire spent two seasons at Oxford United, from 2015-2017 where he made 79 appearances. He later moved to the Imps for the 2021/2022 season, making 39 appearances, scoring five and assisting five.
Centre-back Rob Dickie made 23 appearances for Lincoln in a short loan spell in the 2017/2018 season, before making 113 appearances for Oxford between 2018-2020.
Manager Michael Appleton had his two most successful spells at both sides. He managed 173 games for Oxford United, from 2014-2017, picking up 1.61 points per game, and later managed 143 games for Lincoln from 2019-2022, picking up 1.41 points per game.