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Home Match Build-Up 13/12/2025 - Build-Up: Oxford United vs Preston North End

Who Will Win?

  • Total voters
    69
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Carpy

Carpy

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Forum Staff
L2: Reaction Guru L1: Reaction Apprentice
Season Ticket
Yes
Year of First Game
1998
Championship

Match Referee:
Kassam Stadium
Saturday 13th Dec 2025 @ 1230
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Go for a 1-1-8 formation because if you have more attackers then you score more goals. Cumming should be able to hold his own in goal
 
OUFCwaffle said:
Go for a 1-1-8 formation because if you have more attackers then you score more goals. Cumming should be able to hold his own in goal
Click to expand...
I think using the phrase "hold his own" alongside "Cumming" in a single post should be considered for a forum ban. Filth.
 
I always prefer when we play 4-2-3-1 at home, try and be positive and attack the opposition. Would be in favour of bringing Long, Mills, Krastev all back into the starting 11, and maybe give Ole Romeny a chance as well.

Cumming
Long. Helik. Brown. Currie
Vaulks. BDK.
Mills. Krastev. Romeny.
Lankshear

Preston started the season well, but current form is a bit patchy, only 1 win in 6.

2-0 to the Ox - Lankshear and Helik on the scoreboard. Happy Christmas one and all!!
 
I got these stats from the internet - OUFC this season. Probably not a surprise but one or two are interesting, haven’t checked for accuracy:

DEFENCE CONSISTENCY - Oxford Utd failed to keep a clean sheet in 18 of their 20 league matches played this season.
LEAD DEFENDING - Lead-Defending Rate of 36% is notably lower than the league average of 59%.
RECENT DEFENCE - Failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 10 matches.
FIRST HALF SCORING - Scored 71% of their goals in the first half of matches.
 
Feel much more confident about us at home than away, but think we’ll lose this 2-1 despite a battling effort and improved performance.
 
I fancy our chances tomorrow. Preston have done well so far but their form is tailing off and their only win in the last six games is at Sheffield Wednesday who give you three points as a welcome present when you turn up.

Like most of this division they're to be respected but not feared, play as we have several time already this season and we can beat them but if we're not on it we'll struggle. Whatever formation we play I'd like to see ter Avest play, Krastev start in a central postion and Lankshear up top. I don't know how much time HTA, BDK and Krastev have spent on the pitch together and vaguely close together (ie Krastev playing centrally rather than left) but I'd like to see that given a bit of a run and us try and play more football.
 
Last edited:
It's going to be interesting to see who is, and who is not included in the match day squad. Who is back fit, who gets a start and who doesn't. Will Cam Bran be back? Will Shemmy be fit? Tyler featured in the Thursday presser - is that an indication of inclusion?
Couldn't glean anything from Rowetts comments. Have to say, I'm beginning to find his statements more and more indeterminate. Lots of indecisive statements. Could be he doesn't want to give anything away, but, could be he just doesn't know the answer to get things right.

Big game tomorrow, then again, aren't they all?
 
Ewes said:
I got these stats from the internet - OUFC this season. Probably not a surprise but one or two are interesting, haven’t checked for accuracy:

DEFENCE CONSISTENCY - Oxford Utd failed to keep a clean sheet in 18 of their 20 league matches played this season.
LEAD DEFENDING - Lead-Defending Rate of 36% is notably lower than the league average of 59%.
RECENT DEFENCE - Failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 10 matches.
FIRST HALF SCORING - Scored 71% of their goals in the first half of matches.
Click to expand...

Upgrades needed across the back four. We think Ter Avest, Helik, Brown and curry are decent but are well short of decent championship defenders.
 
Get the feeling that Rowett wants as much experience in the squad as possible. He’s gone back to MHarris, he’s involving Bradshaw gradually and he recalled Davis in the week.

Despite playing 3 at the back against Blackburn I can’t see us straying from 4 at the back at home where it has proved to be reasonably successful, we simply haven’t got the attacking wingbacks needed to try this at home.

With this in mind I wouldn’t be totally surprised to see a defensive central pairing of Helik and Davis with Brown at leftback. Not my choice, but it does get Davis into the team, giving a more physical presence overall which I suspect is Rowett’s preference, and in theory makes us more dangerous at set pieces.
 
No idea with this one, not a clue.
You could say almost any result 2-2, 3-1 or 0-2 and I honestly wouldn’t disagree.
Will be there in full vocal support whatever.
 
Joey said:
Krastev start in a central postion and Lankshear up top. I don't know how much time HTA, BDK and Krastev have spent on the pitch together and vaguely close together (ie Krastev playing centrally rather than left) but I'd like to see that given a bit of a run and us try and play more football.
Click to expand...
It baffles me that we haven't seen this combination. I would really like to see it. I suppose the issue is if we dont have Dembele playing due to the non-football reason then we dont have anyone obvious to play on the left (Tyler better centrally, Shemmy better on the right etc).
 
Gordon said:
I always prefer when we play 4-2-3-1 at home, try and be positive and attack the opposition. Would be in favour of bringing Long, Mills, Krastev all back into the starting 11, and maybe give Ole Romeny a chance as well.

Cumming
Long. Helik. Brown. Currie
Vaulks. BDK.
Mills. Krastev. Romeny.
Lankshear

Preston started the season well, but current form is a bit patchy, only 1 win in 6.

2-0 to the Ox - Lankshear and Helik on the scoreboard. Happy Christmas one and all!!
Click to expand...
I like this, personally I would like to see goodrham for krastev mainly based on his poor performance at Swansea and Tyler's positive impact alongside Romeny at Blackburn

🤞🤞🤞🤞

Any chance Spencer can play, that would be a massive boost.

Please no Marris or Bradshaw, I think I might combust in the stands if they feature.

GR seems to really like Larris and so I expect he will start again and Romeny will once again get minimal game time but I hope I'm wrong on that score
 
Foley said:
Personal criticisms are beginning.....
Click to expand...
Oh sorry. I can see how it can be construed in that way (I should have done a smiling emoji next to it to show I wasn't serious). I was being light hearted and poking fun at myself about me being intolerant rather than anything else (you should see me on a train next to someone who cracks their knuckles).

For the record, I have no issue with Gary Rowett (or anyone else) sniffing occasionally. And if he tries playing Krastev more centrally I wouldn't mind if he did the "push one nostril in with his finger as he sniffs out a whole load of snot on the floor out of the other nostril" mid-interview.
 
Ewes said:
I got these stats from the internet - OUFC this season. Probably not a surprise but one or two are interesting, haven’t checked for accuracy:

DEFENCE CONSISTENCY - Oxford Utd failed to keep a clean sheet in 18 of their 20 league matches played this season.
LEAD DEFENDING - Lead-Defending Rate of 36% is notably lower than the league average of 59%.
RECENT DEFENCE - Failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 10 matches.
FIRST HALF SCORING - Scored 71% of their goals in the first half of matches.
Click to expand...
We will win 1-0 scoring in the second half
 
The first game I’m actually going to have been able to attend in person for a while tomorrow, and I’m quietly confident. The Lindsay and Heckingbotham misses are big for them and we seem to be playing them at the right time after their storming start to the year.

I would also like to see Krastev at CAM. Despite very much admiring George Elek’s increasingly in vain attempts to put a silver lining on our performances on the Dub, and explaining (quite convincingly) how the Harrises have contributed to our press out of possession, Krastev feels like one of the few players in our squad with an ‘x factor’. Would be fun to see him there (especially if TG plays LW - they could interchange interestingly). While he’s also fallen off a bit recently, I feel like Lankshear has been something of a revelation, and would love to see him start and get back in the goals.

Would also start Ben Davies. Would necessitate dropping Brown unfortunately, but I think he’s give us that bit more physicality and ability on the ball that could be useful.

Feels like an important couple of games for Rowett. With the exception, weirdly, of Ipswich, this has looked a very favourable run of games on paper, and we haven’t really seized the opportunity. This run of four (Swansea, Blackburn, Preston and Charlton) in particular feels like it has to yield points, and so far the return has not been good. There’s also the first hints of a gap starting to develop between us and the clubs above us, which we can’t allow to grow.

Draw not the worst thing in the world but feels a great opportunity for a win.

COYY
 
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