{"id":496190,"date":"2019-08-02T03:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T07:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=496190"},"modified":"2020-12-28T11:31:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-28T16:31:02","slug":"oxford-united-league-one-sunderland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2019\/08\/02\/oxford-united-league-one-sunderland\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford United Face Tough Start to League One at Sunderland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oxford United<\/a> face a tough start to the season as they travel to promotion favourites, Sunderland<\/a>. The U’s have had a disappointing summer, but a late flurry of transfer activity seems to have given the fans some optimism as they head into the new season.<\/p>\n

So how do we think they’ll do this weekend as the U’s travel north to the Stadium of Light?<\/p>\n

Preview: Oxford United at Sunderland<\/h2>\n

Oxford Face Tough Opening Day Opposition Away at Sunderland<\/h3>\n

Karl Robinson<\/a> took his side to Barnsley<\/a> on the opening day of last season and lost 4-0 to a side that achieved automatic promotion to the Championship.<\/p>\n

Last week, you would have been forgiven for expecting a similar result on Saturday given the lack of new faces through the door. Alex Gorrin<\/a>, Tariqe Fosu<\/a> and Chris Cadden<\/a> have all joined the club, but the U’s also lack depth following the return to their parent clubs of six first-team loanees.<\/p>\n

Oxford lost Curtis Nelson<\/a> at the start of the summer as the defender joined Cardiff City on a free transfer, whilst earlier this week, Gavin Whyte<\/a> also joined the Bluebirds, leaving Robinson’s squad looking depleted.<\/p>\n

Sunderland have a strong squad and, although they missed out on promotion last season, The Black Cats will be looking to go one step further this time around.<\/p>\n

Goalkeeper\u00a0Lee Burge<\/a>\u00a0and defender\u00a0Jordan Willis<\/a>\u00a0arrived from\u00a0Coventry City<\/a>\u00a0after their contracts expired. Defender\u00a0Conor McLaughlin<\/a>\u00a0signed after his contract expired at Millwall, while striker Marc McNulty arrived on a season-long loan recently from Reading and Walsall\u2019s captain last season, George Dobson, signed permanently for an undisclosed fee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite losing\u00a0Lee Cattermole<\/a>, Sunderland still boast a wealth of quality. Aiden\u00a0McGeady\u00a0could be the key to unlocking some stubborn League One defences, while Will\u00a0Grigg\u00a0will be hoping to find the form that prompted The Black Cats to sign him from Wigan Athletic. Former Oxford favourite\u00a0Chris Maguire<\/a>\u00a0is a game-changer, as is John\u00a0McLaughlin\u00a0between the sticks.<\/p>\n

What a Difference a Day Makes<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, however, the U’s will feel they could get something out of this game. Just a couple of hours after Whyte’s departure, Oxford<\/a> announced the signing of Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn<\/a> on a season-long loan. Then the following day, the club announced the signing of Anthony Forde<\/a> following his release from Rotherham.<\/p>\n

The U’s earned themselves a point as they drew 1-1 at Sunderland last year, and the majority of Oxford fans would take the same result on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>