Oxford United have five difficult games coming up, and it could be a run that defines their season ahead of the December fixture pile-up.
Gary Rowett’s side welcome Millwall and Stoke before a trip to the Hawthorns to face West Brom. The U’s then welcome high-flying Middlesbrough before a trip to strugglers, Norwich.
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Next Five Games Can Make or Break Oxford United’s Season
Difficult Home Games
The U’s have only one win from five at Grenoble Road this season, so they’ll be looking to rectify that when Millwall and Stoke visit in the coming weeks.
However, the Lions are yet to lose on the road, picking up three wins from their five away trips, while Stoke have had a steady start to the season.
After a trip to West Brom, Oxford welcome Middlesbrough who have 11 points from their six fixtures on the road.
The three sides all sit in the top five and have real ambitions for a promotion push this season, so the trio will provide a tough test for the U’s.
Winnable Away Games
Surprisingly, Oxford have more away wins than they do at home this season, with victories at Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday.
West Brom also only have two wins at home, with two draws and one defeat from their five fixtures at the Hawthorns. Ryan Mason’s side are 11th in the league but have dropped off in recent weeks following a bright start.
As for Norwich, they’re having a bad time under former Oxford boss, Liam Manning. Manning, who led Bristol City to the playoffs last season, returned to his hometown club in the summer but they currently occupy a spot in the bottom three.
Surprisingly, away from home is where they’ve picked up all of their eight points but they are yet to pick up a point at Carrow Road with five defeats in five.
Oxford will be hoping to continue that trend when they visit at the end of the month but the Canaries welcome Hull and Leicester before the U’s come to town.
Results Against Top Half Clubs
Despite sitting just outside the bottom three, Oxford have a pretty decent record against teams in the top half this season.
They drew at home with league leaders Coventry, beat fourth-placed Bristol City on the road and have picked up a point against QPR and Leicester, who sit ninth and tenth, respectively.
The U’s have also faced Hull, but that game ended in a late defeat on the road back in August.
Gary Rowett’s side tend to play better against teams that have the majority of possession which could be the case in these upcoming fixtures, but they need to improve a clinical edge in the final third if they are to get anything during this run.
Featured image courtesy of IMAGO / Focus Images
